A WSU history instructor was found dead this morning in Sunnyside Park.

Pullman Police Cmdr. Chris Tennant said Scott Stratton, 51, was discovered floating in the upper pond of the park, where he went to walk his dog last night. His family reported him missing at about 10:45 p.m. after his dog returned home without him.

“We scoured the park diligently with family and friends, and we couldn’t find him last night,” Tennant said.

The Whitman County Coroner has tentatively ruled the death as accidental, and Tennant said there is no evidence of foul play.

An autopsy in the near future will ascertain the cause of death, he said.