Christina Parker (right) and Roxanne Mitchell participate in a memorial parade for missing Tulalip officer Charlie Cortez Saturday afternoon on the Tulalip Reservation. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Christina Parker (right) and Roxanne Mitchell participate in a memorial parade for missing Tulalip officer Charlie Cortez Saturday afternoon on the Tulalip Reservation. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

A month into search, a memorial for missing Tulalip officer

A procession of patrol cars, motorcycles, dirt bikes and quads lined up to honor Charlie Cortez.

TULALIP — Patrol cars, motorcycles, dirt bikes and quads …

A girl wearing a “Thin Blue Line” flag like a cape, a Ford Focus with a gift-wrapped hood, a man blasting a hunter’s bugle as loud as he could …

The memorial parade that winded its way along Totem Beach Road on the Tulalip reservation was a reminder of who Charlie Cortez was: an officer, a fisherman, a geoducker, a hunter, an off-road enthusiast. A family man and leader in the community. And a guy who liked the holidays.

Cortez, 29, is lost at sea. On Nov. 17, he and fellow Tulalip Tribes fish-and-wildlife officer Shawn Edge were thrown overboard when a rogue wave capsized their 24-foot fisheries vessel near Jetty Island. Through heavy rain, choppy water and gusts up to 45 mph, first responders found the overturned boat, but the officers were gone.

Fishermen on a private boat found Edge, 39, floating near Hat Island later that night — 3½ miles west of Jetty Island. He was hypothermic but conscious and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Cortez is presumed drowned and is the first officer in the tribal department’s history to die in the line of duty. After 25 days, with hundreds of miles of sea and shoreline scoured — including sloughs and harbors and around islands and at least one shipwreck — there has been no sign of him. First responders from throughout the region, tribal fisherman and other volunteers have pitched in to help with the search. Boats, helicopters, underwater drones and specially trained dogs have been brought out to help.

Law enforcement officers lead a memorial parade for missing Tulalip officer Charlie Cortez Saturday afternoon on the Tulalip Reservation. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Law enforcement officers lead a memorial parade for missing Tulalip officer Charlie Cortez Saturday afternoon on the Tulalip Reservation. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

“It’s just been non-stop,” said Glen Gobin, vice chairman of the Tulalip Tribes. “… I don’t think any one of us, unless you’ve experienced this before, can imagine the grief and the pain that the family is going through; to be left with nothing but questions, all unanswered, and no reasoning for what’s really transpired here, with the loss of a son, and, for the children, their father, and for us a young man in the community that was a rising leader.”

People are asked to keep an eye out and report any clothing that may have belonged to Cortez. He was wearing a department-issued uniform, including a black stocking cap, a black zip-up bulletproof vest, a dark-blue shirt, a dark-blue coat, dark-blue pants, black boots and a black UnderArmour T-shirt. His name and a gold star is embroidered in some of the clothing.

Torry and Christina Parker, who rode quads to Saturday’s event, said they came up with the idea for the memorial parade earlier in the week. They had no idea so many people would come out.

“We were up all night making signs,” Torry Parker said.

Christina Parker said they wanted to try to bring the family a smile during the holidays, and ahead of Cortez’s son’s eighth birthday.

They also wanted to “let the world know we’re still searching.”

Police officers recognize participants in a memorial parade for missing Tulalip officer Charlie Cortez Saturday afternoon on the Tulalip Reservation. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Police officers recognize participants in a memorial parade for missing Tulalip officer Charlie Cortez Saturday afternoon on the Tulalip Reservation. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Among those who came were the Sacred Riders, a Native American motorcycle club based in Tulalip. Club member Josh Hammons, 41, said they came out to pay their respects.

“We’re all one big community, one big family,” he said.

He knew Cortez since he was a kid, when he was “ripping past” people on a dirt bike. Even after he became an officer, Cortez was well known in the local motorsports community, Hammons said.

Gobin said he watched as Cortez grow from a newborn into a man and a father. He remarked on how being a fisheries officer let Cortez continue to be outdoors, where he was most comfortable.

Law enforcement officers watch the procession of a memorial parade for missing Tulalip officer Charlie Cortez Saturday afternoon on the Tulalip Reservation. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Law enforcement officers watch the procession of a memorial parade for missing Tulalip officer Charlie Cortez Saturday afternoon on the Tulalip Reservation. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

As of Saturday, there were no plans to stop the search.

“When we lose a fisherman, all of our fishermen come together and do what they can to try and assist in bringing our loved one home — bring some closure or some start of healing for the family,” Gobin said. “We’ve not given up hope.”

Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.

Help with the search

Anyone who plans to participate in the search, or who has information about Cortez’s whereabouts, is asked to email bringofficercortezhome@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 909-294-6356.

Talk to us

More in Local News

Marysville firefighters respond to a 12-year-old boy who fell down a well Tuesday May 30, 2023 in Marysville, Washington. (Photo provided by Marysville Fire District)
Marysville firefighters save boy who fell 20 feet into well

The 12-year-old child held himself up by grabbing on to a plastic pipe while firefighters worked to save him.

Highway 9 is set to be closed in both directions for a week as construction crews build a roundabout at the intersection with Vernon Road. (Washington State Department of Transportation)
Weeklong closure coming to Highway 9 section in Lake Stevens

Travelers should expect delays or find another way from Friday to Thursday between Highway 204 and Lundeen Parkway.

Students arriving off the bus get in line to score some waffles during a free pancake and waffle breakfast at Lowell Elementary School on Friday, May 26, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
800 free pancakes at Everett’s Lowell Elementary feed the masses

The annual breakfast was started to connect the community and the school, as well as to get people to interact.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring speaks at the groundbreaking event for the I-5/SR 529 Interchange project on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
$123M project starting on Highway 529 interchange, I-5 HOV lane

A reader wondered why the highway had a lane closure despite not seeing work done. Crews were waiting on the weather.

Justin Bell was convicted earlier this month of first-degree assault for a December 2017 shooting outside a Value Village in Everett. (Caleb Hutton / Herald file)
Court: Snohomish County jurors’ opaque masks didn’t taint verdict

During the pandemic, Justin Bell, 32, went on trial for a shooting. Bell claims his right to an impartial jury was violated.

Gary Fontes uprights a tree that fell over in front of The Fontes Manor — a miniature handmade bed and breakfast — on Friday, May 12, 2023, at his home near Silver Lake in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett’s mini-Frank Lloyd Wright builds neighborhood of extra tiny homes

A tiny lighthouse, a spooky mansion and more: Gary Fontes’ miniature world of architectural wonders is one-twelfth the size of real life.

Will Steffener
Inslee appoints Steffener as Superior Court judge

Attorney Will Steffener will replace Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Janice Ellis, who is retiring in June.

The M/V Puyallup docks at the Edmonds waterfront on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020 in Edmonds. The ferry along with the passenger loading walkway were struck by lightning last week. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Tune in for virtual meeting on Edmonds-Kingston ferry

The series of Washington State Ferries meetings are for updates and public comment. A recording is available online.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Mountlake Terrace in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Lawsuit: Defective inhaler led to death of Mountlake Terrace man

Pharmaceutical company Perrigo recalled inhalers in September 2020. Months earlier, Antonio Fritz Sr. picked one up at a pharmacy.

Most Read