The search for Christopher Woitel, a computer programmer who has been missing since Jan. 9, ended Monday when his body was found in his apartment building.

Woitel was found in a crawl space above the apartment’s bathroom during a second search by the SFPD Special Victims Unit and Crime Scene Investigations. A private investigator and the SVU team had already searched through the apartment twice previously without locating the body.

Police said Woitel’s body “was hidden from plain view” in a small, three-foot tall space that was inaccessible from the inside of his apartment. They suspect Woitel accessed the space from the rooftop of the building. Personnel from the fire department retrieved his remains by cutting a hole in the ceiling.

Foul play is not suspected, police said.

The cause of death has not yet been determined and is still pending the results of an autopsy. Woitel’s family has indicated they will not make a statement until the report is released by the medical examiner.

SFPD asks anyone with information to call the SFPD 24-hour tip line at 1-415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.

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