MANILA, Philippines -- An American Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent of Filipino descent who had been missing in California since early December has been confirmed dead and a news report quoted the coroner as saying she had apparently committed suicide.An email from the family of Veronica Ruiz sent on Wednesday, including to INQUIRER.net, which had reported on efforts to find her, said: “Coroner has confirmed through dental records that the body found on Sunday [January 13] is that of Veronica Ruiz.” The same message is posted on a website maintained by Ruiz’ family. “The family and friend of Veronica Ruiz would wholeheartedly like to thank all our volunteers for all their efforts in the search,” the message also said. “Your prayers, awareness created, supplies and monetary donations have contributed to bringing resolution to our family.” The website links to an article on
KTVU.com, which reported that the “Marin County coroner's office said Tuesday the body of a female found on Mount Tamalpais Sunday afternoon is Veronica Ruiz and that she apparently shot herself in the head on December 3, the day she disappeared.” The report said Ruiz’ body was discovered by a search and rescue team from the Marin County Sheriff’s Office that was on a training exercise and that her service weapon and photo identification were found at the site. Reports from the time she disappeared from Mill Valley were she lived quoted relatives and friends as saying Ruiz had been despondent after breaking up with her boyfriend. The reports quoted them as saying Ruiz had told them she was going trail hiking. The confirmation of her death ends a search that lasted more than a month and involved hundreds of volunteers, which Ruiz’ family and friends organized after the official search for the missing agent had been called off a few days after she disappeared. The weekend her body was found, federal agents, including Ruiz’ colleagues in the IRS, joined the search. | 
