Newport Beach man missing since early January found dead near Talbert Park

A Newport Beach man who went missing earlier this month was found dead earlier this week, an advocate for his family said Thursday.

The body of 41-year-old Scott Breneman was found near the river jetties on the Huntington Beach side of Talbert Park. Family members were informed by the Newport Beach Police Department on Thursday and an update was swiftly issued by Cal Advocates for the Missing, the nonprofit that was helping search for Breneman since he disappeared on Jan. 7 after bolting from Huntington Beach Hospital.

The cause of Breneman’s death has not been made public. The Newport Beach Police Department did not respond to requests for comment about the investigation.

Breneman was captain and owner of West Caught Fish Co. in Newport Beach. He lived in Dover Shores with his wife and children.

Breneman’s mother, Lisa, told the Daily Pilot last week that Breneman had been acting irrationally and the family agreed to call Newport Beach’s mobile crisis assessment team. He was transported to the hospital, where Breneman saw a nurse drawing a sedative into a syringe and became agitated, telling his mother, “Mom, I’m not going to be sedated. I’m going to run.”

He fled barefoot, wearing only his hospital gown and beige scrub pants. His family was uncertain as to whether or not he would have remained in Huntington Beach, returned to his native Newport Beach or gone elsewhere.

A missing person report was filed with the Huntington Beach Police Department, but the investigation was later put under the jurisdiction of the Newport Beach Police Department because Breneman had been transported by Newport’s mobile crisis assessment team and the NBPD had already been involved prior to his disappearance, according to Huntington Beach spokeswoman Jennifer Carey.

Cal Advocates for the Missing founder Brenda Condon said Friday the search for Breneman stretched as far north as Sunset Beach and as far south as San Clemente and Dana Point. Despite the efforts of volunteers and tips from the public as to his possible whereabouts, he could not be found.

“We had so many community members that came out to search for him on a daily basis,” said Condon. “We had people out there day and night looking for him, printing fliers, putting them up, knocking on doors, talking to restaurant owners and asking these businesses if they could see the tapes. It was an amazing outpouring from the community of support for Lisa and Scott’s family.”

Lisa Breneman, on Friday, declined to comment but conveyed that she wanted to express her deep gratitude for those who showed up on a daily basis to help her search for her son and who shared information about his missing status on social media.

In the comments on the post for Cal Advocates for the Missing that announced he had been found dead, many offered their condolences while others shared their own stories of missing family members.

On Friday, a person who saw Breneman’s last Instagram post from Dec. 31 left a comment that reads: “You will be missed Scott. I hope you’re with your dad, fishing in heaven! You were a great man and one of the hardest working people I ever met. RIP brother.”