New Delhi, Jan. 14 -- A skeleton found on a Washington State beach in 2006 was confirmed to be a former mayor who was believed to have drowned during a fishing trip in Oregon, according to a report by the New York Post.

Clarence Edwin "Ed" Asher was believed to be dead after disappearing during a fishing trip at Tillamook Bay, a small inlet along Oregon's coast. The Coast Guard initiated a lengthy search, which was called off on September 6, 2006, just a day after Asher went missing, the report said, citing The Astorian.

Asher, the former mayor of Fossil, Oregon, was 72 years old when he disappeared. Authorities concluded that he had drowned after his wife informed them he was not wearing a lifejacket and lacked the knowledge to swim, t...