An Oak Harbor man found dead in a Clinton ravine this past October died of natural causes, the Island County coroner has determined.

Physical evidence revealed Anthony J Speed had cirrhosis of the liver, which resulted in his death, Coroner Robert Bishop said.

Speed was found Oct. 9 in a ravine near Dalton Realty in Clinton. He is believed to have been dead for some time when discovered.

According to police, he’d checked himself out of a Snohomish County hospital in September against the advice of medical professionals. He was last seen around 1 a.m. Sept. 18 when a sheriff’s deputy spotted him walking up Highway 525 a short distance from Clinton Ferry Terminal. He reportedly declined a ride, saying he lived in the area.

The discovery of his body weeks later sparked some uncertainty about the cause of his death, but recovered evidence suggests only that he died of natural reasons, Bishop said.