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The FBI agent whose body was discovered by hikers in Burbank last week died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the coroner's office.The 36-year-old FBI Agent Steven Ivens had been missing for three months before some hikers decided to investigate a strange odor emanating just off the trails not far from his home on Scott Road.
When he disappeared, his family said that he had disappeared with his gun and was possibly suicidal. But after his body was found, it wasn't apparent how he died. The coroner's office has ruled his death a suicide, according to the Burbank Leader. It is not clear how long Ivins was dead.
A hiker in the area Gretchen Bingea told the Burbank Leader what happened in the moments after her neighbor found Ivins' body:
“I found a skeleton,” Bingea recalled him saying. “I said, ‘You are kidding.'”
He wasn't. He led Bingea and her friend to the spot, where she said she saw a body leaning against a small tree.
“I could see the skull, just kind of leaning against the tree — the clothes on a body and a leg bone,” she said.
The group immediately backtracked and called police.
Ivins leaves behind a wife and a 1-year-old son.Related:
Body of Missing FBI Agent Found in Burbank After Hikers Investigate 'Suspicious Odor'
Possibly Suicidal FBI Agent (And His Gun) Go Missing