The search for a former Venice city councilman came to a sad end Wednesday when police apparently found the body of David Sherman in the woods north of Pinebrook Park. A medical examiner’s report will make final identification of the body, but Police Chief Tom McNulty said personal items indicate it was the councilman, who lost a bid for re-election in November.

Sherman was reported missing on Feb. 7 and his death has been the subject of speculation in Southwest Florida political circles since then. Police in fact were focusing energy on theories besides Sherman’s death for his disappearance. While foul play was ruled out early, detectives learned in conversations with Sherman’s family that he had disappeared once before, in the 1980s when he walked away from his life and didn’t contact anybody for six and a half years.

But the potential of a suicide—or a serious injury that resulted in his death— was not ruled out either. McNulty, already decided that the community needed an update on the search, ordered cadaver dogs Wednesday morning to search the area for any signs of Sherman. They found the body, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, in a wooded area north of Curry Creek.  "He had gotten into a wooded area with some dense vegetation," McNulty said. "It was my belief he did not want to be found."

Sherman had served on the Venice City Council from 2011 through November, when he was defeated by challenger Deborah Anderson. The contest was a bit of a family grudge match; Sherman had previously defeated Anderson’s husband for the seat in a prior election. His defeat was somewhat of a surprise on election night following a low-key election cycle in Venice.

McNulty said family reported Sherman took the loss hard. “We believe that job was very important to him,” he said. Still most felt he was moving on. But he also was suffering other financial setbacks, McNulty said.