This page is a memorial to tragic deaths in Davis, and Davis residents, students, and employees who died outside of town, and a possible aid to city safety.
If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, please visit Suicide Prevention of Yolo County and Counseling and Psychological Services. Also if you or someone you know is profoundly troubled, depressed, or has exhibited disturbing personality changes, Counseling and Psychological Services is again a very important resource.
If you or someone you know engages in unsafe driving (e.g., DUI, extreme speeding, running red lights), you should take heed from this page that motor vehicle fatalities are the largest category of tragic deaths for both Davis residents and UC Davis students.
Bicycle fatalities
July 19, 2008: Alexander Gaivoronski
Alexander Viktorovich Gaivoronski (April 27, 1965 – July 19, 2008) was a Davis resident and a postdoc at UC Davis. He was struck by a minivan and died as he was bicycling westbound on CR-31 near CR-97. In his statement to the CHP, the driver of the minivan claimed that Mr. Gaivoronski veered suddenly into his path and he was unable to stop in time. In a ![[WWW]](http://wikispot.org/wiki/eggheadbeta/img/sycamore-www.png){kind=small}
Daily Democrat discussion forum, some who were present at the time of the accident or immediately after, doubted the validity of the driver's claim and expressed concern about whether there might be further investigation.
October 17, 2007: Willie Lopez
Francisco G. "Willie" Lopez (March 22, 1947 – October 17, 2007) had worked in the UC Davis Finance Office / Accounts Payable for 34 years. He was struck and killed by a car while riding his bicycle to work at UC Davis from his home in Woodland. At age 60, he still rode his bike to and from work every day, as well as jogging several miles around campus during the lunch hour.
May 27, 2006: Edward Martin
Edward "Ed" Martin, age 76 and a Davis resident, died of complications from a bicycle accident in 2003. (It is not known whether the bicycle accident was in Davis.) He was paralyzed from the neck down in the accident. (Sacramento Bee, June 29, 2006)
August 10, 2005: Ken McCoy
Kenneth Dale "Ken" McCoy (May 17, 1950 – August 10, 2005) of Davis was killed in a bicycle accident in Tomales Bay near Point Reyes. (Davis Enterprise, August 15, 2005)
February 5, 2003: Peter Kaufman
Peter G. Kaufman (August 6, 1950 – February 5, 2003) was a resident of Davis. He was hit by a motor vehicle as he tried to cross westbound Covell Boulevard on his bicycle, east of Anderson Road. He was not wearing a helmet. He died later the same day at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. (Sacramento Bee, February 7, 2003)
July 16, 1997: Ellie Gerhardy
Ellie's Memorial Ellison Clagett "Ellie" Gerhardy (April 14, 1976 – July 16, 1997) was killed while riding her bicycle south on Pole Line Road in East Davis, crossing Covell Boulevard at a green light. She was a 21 year-old UC Davis senior, studying Nutritional Science, and was to be the co-captain of the UC Davis swimming team for the 1997-98 season.
She was bicycling at about 6:00pm to her residence at the Kappa Alpha Theta house from her summer jobs as a swimming teacher for the Davis Recreation Department and assistant coach for the Davis Athletic Club Swimming Team.
Javier Pimentel of Woodland, driving only the front cab of his tomato truck, was turning right from Pole Line Road onto westbound Covell on the same green light. He did not see Ellie crossing Covell to the right of his truck. The two collided, and Ellie was crushed beneath the truck's tires. After stopping briefly, Pimentel continued to his destination at the now-defunct Hunt Wesson Plant, where he was found by police hosing off his truck.
Pimentel was sentenced on April 14, 1998 (Ellie's 22nd birthday) to 185 days in Yolo County Jail and five years of probation. He pleaded no contest to one count of felony hit and run. Additional misdemeanor charges of vehicular manslaughter, providing false information to a police officer and destruction of evidence were dropped as part of the plea agreement.
A wooden-cross memorial to Ellie has been present at the northwest corner of Covell and Pole Line since 1998.
Train accidents
September 1, 2007: Fred Nightbear Iyotte
Fred Nightbear Iyotte (January 2, 1981 – September 1, 2007) was a resident of Sacramento. He was killed by an Amtrak train on the railroad track south of Second Street near Kendall Way. His body was found on the night of September 1 by train crews.
February 19, 2007: Robert Landy
The memorial at the crossing
Robert Barry Landy (November 17, 1965 – February 19, 2007) was a resident of Davis and the owner of RBL Construction in Davis. He was killed when his auto was struck on the train tracks by an eastbound Amtrak train at Arboretum Drive, which is an unsignalled crossing just south of the parking lot of Davis Commons and the nearby bike tunnel. (KCRA news)
July 20, 2005: Samuel Carrasco
Samuel Brian Carrasco (September 13, 1971 – July 20, 2005) was a resident of Davis. He was killed while lying on the train tracks near Second and L Street around 3am; the authorities said that the incident was alcohol-related. (Davis Enterprise, July 21, 2005)
March 19, 1999: Sean Krueger
Sean T. Krueger (October 16, 1973 – March 19, 1999) was a resident of Davis. He was killed by a train between Old Davis and Fremont roads while walking his dog. He was trying to save his dog from the train, but they were both killed. (Sacramento Bee, March 22, 1999)
December 3, 1998: Nanda Butler
Nityananda Bhaktirasa Nanda Butler (November 23, 1979 – December 3, 1998) was a resident of Davis since his youth. He died at 8:15 p.m at the age of 19 on December 3rd 1998. 1 He was killed by a freight train near the intersection of L and 2nd streets and died of multiple traumatic injuries, the Yolo County coroner's office ruled. A friend who had safely passed over the tracks immediately before Nanda died, believes he was going to wait for the train to pass, but misjudged how close he was. There is a myspace page dedicated to Nanda.
October 23, 1896: Mr. Schadle
A Mr. Shadle died in a railroad collision in Davisville, and two others were seriously injured, in which their handcar was hit by a freight train. (Sacramento Daily Record-Union, October 24, 1896)
November 6, 1891: Karl von Brouhl
One Karl von Brouhl, who was on his way from St. Louis to San Francisco and came from Baden, Germany, was run over by a train "at Davisville". (Los Angeles Times, November 10, 1891)
City motor vehicle deaths
These are motor vehicle fatalities on city streets other than those involving bicycles or trains.
July 4, 2008: Casey Hickenbottom
Casey Ray Hickenbottom (January 31, 1984 – July 4, 2008) of Davis died in a speeding accident in which his car tripped on a curb and then hit a pole on Second Street near Faraday Avenue, in the early evening on July 4. His passenger suffered major injuries. (Davis Enterprise, July 6, 2008)
July 28, 2007: Marion Logan
Marion Althea Logan (November 4, 1920 – July 28, 2007, maiden name unknown) was a resident of Davis who was fatally injured when her car pulled out of Oakshade Town Center and was hit by another car on Pole Line Road. (Davis Enterprise, July 30, 2007)
August 27, 2005: Reginald Crockett
Reginald L. Crockett (August 4, 1967 – August 27, 2005) of Davis died when he stole an SUV from outside a party on Anderson Road, then drove it into a tree on La Rue Boulevard. The theft and accident happened around 2:00AM. (The Daily Democrat, August 30, 2005)
August 10, 2004: Jamie Lou Adams
Jamie Lou Adams, age 43 and a Davis resident, died in a car crash on Mace Boulevard just south of Montgomery Avenue in which she served into an oncoming car. (Sacramento Bee, August 11, 2004)
May 9, 2004: Isaiah Velez
Isaiah Anthony Velez (January 22, 2003 – May 9, 2004) was a toddler who was hit by a car and killed in the parking lot of a South Davis apartment complex. Velez had run back to pick something up just as the driver was pulling out of his parking space; the driver could not see him in the car's path. (Davis Enterprise, May 11, 2004)
October 27, 2000: John Montgomery
John Montgomery, age 29, was killed in while riding his motorcycle south on L Street. He was hit and killed by a car going east on Eighth Street. (Sacramento Bee, October 29, 2000)
April 1, 1995: Dorothy Doerr
Dorothy Elizabeth (Farley) Doerr (May 21, 1912 – April 1, 1995) of Davis was killed when she crossed over the center line while driving on Mace Boulevard and had a head-on collision with another car. (Sacramento Bee, April 2, 1995)
February 6, 1994: Sean McGinity
Sean Thomas McGinity (October 23, 1968 – February 6, 1994) was a UC Davis student who died in an accident shortly after midnight. He was in the back seat of a car that was heading west on Russell Boulevard and slammed into a pole at A Street. The driver and front passenger were also injured. (Sacramento Bee, February 7, 1994)
November 10, 1993: Bill Kerth
William J. "Bill" Kerth (August 6, 1922 – November 10, 1993) of North Sacramento had coordinated skating events for the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley. He died when his car struck a traffic signal pole in daytime at the intersection of Covell Boulevard and Alhambra Drive. (Sacramento Bee, November 11, 1993)
January 16, 1993: Christina Hayes
Christina Lee Hayes (November 20, 1974 – January 16, 1993) of Davis died while she was nine months pregnant (11 days before her due date) in a car accident on F Street near Jalisco Place. The driver lost control of the car and she was thrown out of the vehicle. (Sacramento Bee, January 21, 1993)
March 20, 1992: Karen Newell
Karen Mae Newell, age 3 and a Davis resident, was hit by a car and killed in an accident in Davis. (Winters Express, March 26, 1992)
October 31, 1987: Jeffery Tabo
Jeffery Tabo, age 16, was fatally injured on October 29 when he jumped or fell from a car roof on Mercedes Avenue in Davis. He had been riding on the car by hanging onto the luggage rack. He died two days later at the hospital. (Sacramento Bee, November 1, 1987)
June 22, 1986: James Dooher
James Francis Dooher (March 24, 1964 – June 22, 1986) was a UC Davis student who was hit by a pickup truck on June 21 while walking across Alvarado Avenue near Fortuna Court. He died shortly after midnight at the hospital. (Sacramento Bee, June 24, 1986)
March 30, 1984: Richard Gould
Richard K. Gould, age 40 and a student at UC Davis, died in a collision at 5th and L Street, and his wife Noriko was critically injured. His vehicle was broadsided by a car running a red light. (Sacramento Bee, April 1, 1984)
February 8, 1984: Nai-Yan Li
Nai-Yan Li (September 30, 1934 – February 8, 1984) was a visiting scholar at UC Davis. While walking across the street at Eighth and B Street, she was struck and killed by a car turning left. (Sacramento Bee, March 8, 1984)
Intercity/out-of-town motor vehicle deaths
These are motor vehicle fatalities on intercity roads, including I-80 and Highway 113 within city limits, and in other cities. Again, bicycles excluded.
May 8, 2009: Eunice Park
Eunice Park, a junior at UC Davis, was killed while driving home to Los Angeles on I-5 near Fresno. She lost control of her car while changing lanes and the car flipped over onto oncoming traffic. Her roommate was injured in the accident, but survived. (The California Aggie, May 19, 2009)
December 1, 2008: Bruce Wenokur
Bruce D. Wenokur 2, age 53, was killed when his car veered off the road on eastbound I-80 and hit the steel beam of a freeway sign on the evening of December 1. Police believe that alcohol and high speeds were factors in the crash. (Davis Enterprise, December 3, 2008)
December 29, 2007: Greg Jacobs
Gregory Scott "Greg" Jacobs (May 22, 1986 – December 29, 2007) was a student at UC Davis who died on Highway 70 near Quincy. His girlfriend lost control of their car because of bad weather and the car rolled over. He had been on the UC Davis club volleyball team. (Sacramento Bee, January 5, 2008)
December 24, 2007: Kenneth Semmler
Kenneth Semmler, age 52 and a resident of Roseville, died from an automobile collision on December 23 on I-80 in Davis. He was speeding and hit another vehicle from behind. (Davis Enterprise, December 27, 2007)
December 3, 2007: Yan Wen Lai
Yan Wen Lai (October 21, 1985 – December 3, 2007) died on her way back to Davis after returning home to visit her family over the weekend. Lai was driving on I-680 in Milpitas when she lost control of the car and slid down an embankment. She was a senior student at UC Davis majoring in electrical engineering. (Davis Enterprise, December 13, 2007)
November 9, 2007: Julie Bryant, Matthew Rybicki
Julie Elizabeth Bryant (March 26, 1988 – November 9, 2007) and Matthew John Rybicki (September 5, 1985 – November 9, 2007) died after a 5am accident on I-80 in Davis near the Richards Blvd exit. Their car crashed into a big rig which was pulling over because of a mechanical problem. Rybicki was the driver while Bryant was the front right passenger; another Davis student was in the back seat and survived with serious injuries. The three students were members of the crew team and were on their way to West Sacramento for rowing practice. A preliminary investigation suggested that Rybicki did not see the truck's tail signals; it ruled out alcohol and drugs as factors in the crash. (Davis Enterprise, November 11, 2007; Vacaville Reporter, November 15, 2007)
May 5, 2007: Name not released
An 85-year-old Davis woman died when her car was hit from the side while turning left on County Road 29. (Sacramento Bee, May 6, 2007)
December 29, 2006: The Hanson family
John S. Hanson (August 2, 1963 – December 29, 2006) and Victoria Hanson nee Gorman (June 26, 1962 – December 29, 2006) and their three children, Elizabeth A. (September 19, 1994 – December 29, 2006), Matthew T. (January 26, 1996 – December 29, 2006), and Michael J. (September 4, 1998 – December 29, 2006) were killed when their vehicle spun out of control and hit two other vehicles in icy road conditions in Oregon. The Hansons had lived in Davis. (Davis Enterprise, December 31, 2006)
November 7, 2006: Mathew Saar
Mathew Saar (July 31, 1984 – November 7, 2006) was a Davis resident who died in a drunk driving accident on I-80 in Davis near the Mace Ranch exit. A friend who was supposed to be a designated driver drove drunk, killing Saar and injuring other passengers and causing another vehicle to overturn. (Daily Democrat, November 9, 2006)
October 28, 2006: Allen Hayrapetian
Allen Hayrapetian (September 23, 1980 – October 28, 2006) was a senior at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine when he died in a motorcycle accident on Berryessa Knoxville Road next to Lake Berryessa. (San Francisco Chronicle, October 22, 2007)
October 15, 2006: Alejandro Leon
Alejandro Aguiree Leon, age 30 and a resident of Sacramento, was killed when his car rear-ended a parked tractor-trailer on I-80 in Davis. (Davis Enterprise, October 16, 2006)
August 26, 2006: Elizabeth Domgaard
Elizabeth Jo Domgaard, age 41 and a resident of Dixon, was killed on Highway 113 near Covell Boulevard in a car driven by her husband. The car spun out of control and they were both ejected. Her husband suffered major injuries and was later arrested on suspicion of felony drunken driving. (Sacramento Bee, August 28, 2006)
May 30, 2006: Angelina Malfitano
Angelina R. Malfitano (December 12, 1983 – May 30, 2006) was killed in a car accident while driving back to Davis from her hometown of Antioch. She was a senior psychology major and was serving as Student Assistant to the Chancellor for the 2005-2006 year. Very active on campus, Angelina was just 22 years old. See : UC Davis student killed in car collision and UC Davis Mourns the Deaths of Two Students.
May 30, 2006: Aparna Gupta
Aparna was a passenger in a car on I-80 when the driver lost control of the vehicle, running it into a tree. The vehicle flipped over, ejecting her since she was not wearing a seatbelt. She was pronounced dead at the scene. (UC Davis news article)
February 26, 2006: Guy Owens
Guy Owens (February 9, 1979 – February 26, 2006), a student at UC Davis, was hit by a van and killed shortly after midnight while walking downhill in Truckee. (California Aggie, March 3, 2006)
February 3, 2006: Luella Zamzow
Luella Mae Zamzow (January 26, 1932 – January 28, 2006) died in a single-car automobile accident on I-5 in Kern County. (Davis Enterprise, February 3, 2006)
January 28, 2006: Jeanne Mayer
Jeanne C. Mayer, age 79 and recently moved to Davis, was killed when she ran off the road on CR-87 north of Esparto and was thrown from her vehicle. (Davis Enterprise, January 31, 2006)
January 10, 2006: Tasia Tsobanoudis
Tasia Tsobanoudis (May 22, 1979 – January 10, 2006) of Davis drowned when her car ran off the road and overturned into a flooded irrigation ditch near County Roads 96 and 29. (Davis Enterprise, January 12, 2006)
August 18, 2005: Amritpal "Paul" Sandu
Amriptal "Paul" Singh Sandu, age 21 and a student at UC Davis, was killed in an accident in Fremont on Mission Boulevard. While driving at more than 100 miles per hour at around 5am, he tried to swerve around a motorcycle, lost control of his car, and hit a tree. (Milpitas Post)
August 16, 2005: Sukhvinder "Vinny" Sandhu
Sukhvinder "Vinny" Kaur Sandhu (October 3, 1983 – August 16, 2005), a UC Davis student, was killed while driving south in a fiery head-on collision on Highway 113 in Yuba City. (Sacramento Bee, August 18, 2005; Davis Enterprise, August 19, 2005)
August 13, 2005: Neil Ashok Patel
Neil Ashok Patel (June 27, 1984 – August 13, 2005) was a UC Davis student studying Microbiology who was struck crossing I-80 while intoxicated at 3:45 in the morning. This came as a shock to friends and family, some of whom were even going to file a missing-persons report.
August 5, 2005: Ajitjot "Bunz" Bajwa
Ajitjot Singh "Bunz" Bajwa (July 23, 1979 – August 5, 2005) crashed his car on I-80 into the center divider between Richards Boulevard and Highway 113. He then stepped out of his car to warn oncoming traffic about his accident and was hit and killed by a tractor-trailer. He was a native and lifelong resident of Modesto as well as a UC Davis student. Bajwa was suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol; an unidentified passenger in his car was also killed. (Modesto Bee, August 10, 2005; San Francisco Chronicle, August 6, 2005)
July 30, 2005: William Dougherty
William Pinkerton Dougherty (October 11, 1925 – July 30, 2005) of El Macero died in an automobile accident in Sacramento. (Davis Enterprise, August 4, 2005)
July 3, 2005: Kevin Lane
Kevin M. Lane (September 4, 1975 – July 3, 2005) of Davis and a Woodland resident were killed on County Road 27 in an accident blamed on another Davis resident named Jerome Davis. Davis was accused of driving 110 miles per hour, driving with his upper torso out of the car, and fleeing the scene after the accident. (Davis Enterprise, July 23, 2005)
March 7, 2005: Matthew Godwin
Matthew Godwin
Matthew Godwin (June 26, 1981 – March 7, 2005), a graduate student in Computer Science and a researcher in CIPIC, was critically injured on his motorcycle on March 6, 2005, when a car involved in a drag race collided with another car and Matt collided with the resulting accident. The accident occurred in Sacramento. He was taken to Davis Medical Center and treated for brain damage, head injuries, and other internal problems. He died the morning of March 7th.
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Officers Looking for Driver Who Fled Capital City Freeway Street Race
He was a Saint Second Class in the Discordian Church, and we know that he won't be reincarnated as a Precious Mao Button. —BrentLaabs
A hell of a guy. A really nice fellow with a great sense of humor. It's a damn shame and a loss for the world. — JabberWokky
Matt was a shining example of two things: 1) It is possible to make your mark on the world through seemingly small acts of kindness. 2)It is not how much time we are given, but what we do with that time that matters. He will be greatly missed. —BattyMaiden
March 6, 2005: Leigh and Phyllis Hamilton
George Leigh Hamilton (January 23, 1916 – March 6, 2005) died in an automobile accident on Highway 1 near Jenner; his wife Phyllis Hamilton nee Stinson (July 13, 1921 – March ??, 2005) died a few days later in the hospital. The car went off of a cliff; he may have failed to brake adequately when pulling into a vista area along the road. (San Jose Mercury News, March 7, 2007; The Santa Rosa Press Democrat, March 8, 2005; Davis Enterprise, March 17, 2005)
December 22, 2004: Maggie El-Gohary
UC Davis student Magda "Maggie" El-Gohary (September 26, 1984 – December 22, 2004) was killed in a car crash. Maggie lost control of her car on highway 280, near her home in Belmont, and struck a tree. She was killed instantly. Maggie was a third year psychology and human development major and a member of Alpha Chi Omega. You can read the Aggie article here. Also, Maggie's roommate, best friend, and Aggie columnist Anna Ritner wrote a column about Maggie.
April 8, 2004: James Steichel
James Evan Steichel (January 18, 1963 – April 10, 2004) lived in Sacramento and worked at the UC Davis Student Experimental Farm. He died in a motorcycle accident. (Sacramento Bee, April 16, 2004)
November 23, 2003: Fredric Hill
Fredric W. Hill (September 2, 1918 – November 23, 2003) was a retired professor who had been in the Nutrition Department at UC Davis. Suffering from dementia, he got lost while driving home on November 23. He asked several people for directions, but eventually he and his car disappeared. After a wide search, his car and his body were found six days later in a ditch near County Road 35, three miles east of Mace Boulevard. (Sacramento Bee, November 30, 2003)
September 24, 2003: George Ziser
George John Ziser, age 84 and a resident of Davis, died in an automobile accident near Winters. His wife survived with injuries. (Davis Enterprise, November 10, 2003)
July 17, 2003: Roger Roman
Roger A. Roman (August 16, 1966 – July 17, 2003) of Davis died in an automobile accident near Forestville. (Davis Enterprise, July 21, 2003)
May 4, 2003: Adrian Uytingco
Adrian Neil R. Uytingco (August 6, 1982 – May 3, 2003) was a resident of Milpitas and a student at UC Davis. He was hit and killed by a tractor-trailer while walking on I-80 east of Highway 113 at about 2am. (Sacramento Bee, May 4, 2003)
August 6, 2002: Timothy Casson
Timothy Edwin Casson (January 21, 1977 – August 6, 2002) of Davis was killed in a traffic accident at an unspecified location. He was employed in the family business, Casson and Son Carpet care. (Davis Enterprise, August 12, 2002)
August 4, 2001: Mario Garcia
Mario Campuzano Garcia, age 30, was a resident of Davis. He died when his car drifted off of I-505 near Winters at around 3am. The car entered the median and overturned. (Sacramento Bee, August 7, 2001)
May 28, 2001: Cerina Vollmer
Cerina Renee Vollmer (April 12, 1980 – May 28, 2001), a student at UC Davis, was killed while driving east on Highway 12 in Solano County when an oncoming pickup truck crossed into her lane. (Davis Enterprise, June 4, 2001)
December 1, 2000: Ron Braun
Ron Braun (July 5, 1964 – November 26, 2000) of Elk Grove was secretary to the Davis Board of Education. He died in an accident on Highway 43 near Fresno when a car going the other way swerved into his lane and caused a head-on collision. His wife was seriously injured as well. (Davis Enterprise, December 1, 2000)
October 1, 2000: Anthony Hughes
Anthony Hughes, age 18 and a UC Davis student, was killed after midnight early on October 1 on Highway 50 in Sacramento. He was in the back seat of a car that spun out on the road and was then hit by a tractor-trailer. The driver and front-seat passenger ran out of the car; Hughes did not make it. (Davis Enterprise, October 1, 2000)
September 4, 2000: Jason Paz
Jason Paz, age 17 and resident of Davis, was killed in an accident on County Road 30 before dawn. The vehicle spun out of control and Paz, who was the front passenger, was killed in a side collision with a pole. The driver was held for suspicion of drunk driving. Paz attended King Senior High and had many friends there. (Davis Enterprise, September 5, 2000)
June 17, 2000: Bob Jones
Robert C. "Bob" Jones (October 22, 1961 – June 17, 2000), recently moved to Davis, died in an unspecified motorcycle accident. (Davis Enterprise, June 23, 2000)
May 9, 2000: Name not released
A Federal Express driver whose name was not released drifted his truck off the road and was killed at 4:30am on I-80 near the Richards Boulevard Exit in Davis. (Davis Enterprise, May 9, 2000)
July 8, 1999: Charles August
Charles D. August (January 2, 1963 – July 8, 1999) of Reno was killed before dawn on I-80 near Mace Boulevard when the car in which he was riding rolled over. The driver was tired and lost control of his car to avoid a collision while trying to pull over to rest. August wasn't wearing a seatbelt and he was thrown from the car. (Sacramento Bee, July 9, 1999)
May 23, 1998: Skye Bell, Rebekah Rosenthal
Rebekah B. Rosenthal (August 16, 1978 – May 23, 1998) and Skye L. Bell (March 1, 1979 – May 23, 1998) were both residents of Malcolm Hall at UC Davis. They died in a crash on I-5 south of Kettleman City and a third resident of Malcolm Hall was badly injured. (Sacramento Bee, May 27, 1998)
February 7, 1998: Jessica Carney
Jessica J. Carney (September 22, 1979 – February 8, 1998), a first-year student at UC Davis, was killed in a four-car traffic accident in the rain on Highway 12 near Napa Valley. (California Aggie, February 12, 1998)
December 7, 1997: Lirio Rosagaran Murphy
Lirio Rosagaran Murphy (October 17, 1964 – December 7, 1997) of Sacramento died when she lost control of her car in the rain on I-80 in Davis. She ran off the road and hit a tree just east of Pole Line Road. (Sacramento Bee, December 9, 1997)
September 1, 1997: Carole Litowsky
Carole Anne Litowsky (August 16, 1946 – September 1, 1997) of Mendocino died on I-80 east of Mace Boulevard in Davis when she lost control of her car. She skidded to the other side of the freeway and broadsided an oncoming car. (Sacramento bee, September 3, 1997)
May 30, 1997: Billy Bostock
Billy Thomas Bostock (February 10, 1978 – May 30, 1997) of Davis died in Fresno, California when the car he was in was hit from the side and rolled upside down into a water-filled ditch. His pregnant girlfriend and her father also died in the accident. Billy had grown up in Davis and was close to graduating from King High School at the time.
February 16, 1996: Name withheld
A 19-year-old Davis man was killed while riding as a passenger in a car on I-680. His name was withheld pending notification of relatives. The driver lost control of the car while swerving to avoid debris, and the car rolled over several times. The driver was Diane Nguyen of San Jose and another passenger was Liem Troung of Davis. (San Jose Mercury News, February 18, 1996)
September 17, 1995: Gabriel Smilkstein
Gabriel Smilkstein, age 71 and a Davis resident and UC Davis professor, died in an automobile accident outside of Davis. (Sacramento Bee, September 30, 1995)
July 22, 1995: Heather Glodek
Heather Noel Glodek (December 14, 1978 – July 22, 1995) of Davis was hit from behind and killed by a pickup truck while walking with her boyfriend near their disabled car. The pickup also drove away after initially pulling off the road. The driver was later caught, pleaded no contest, and was sentenced to four years in prison. (Sacramento Bee, July 24, 1995 and November 7, 1995)
May 17, 1992: Parvinder Gill
Parvinder Singh Gill (April 12, 1967 – May 17, 1992) of Davis was killed in a one-car accident on Highway 50 near Cameron Park. The driver and two other passengers survived the accident. (Sacramento Bee, May 18, 1992)
December 14, 1990: Robert Mattows
Robert Mattows, age 37 and a Davis resident, was killed on Yolo County Road 32 near I-505. He was hit by a pickup truck while riding his motorcycle. (Sacramento Bee, December 15, 1990)
December 4, 1989: Henry Jenks
Henry Earl Jenks (July 19, 1966 – December 4, 1989) of Davis died in an 11-vehicle pile-up on I-5 south of San Francisco caused by thick morning fog. A resident of San Marcos was also killed. (Sacramento Bee, December 5, 1989)
June 26, 1988: Andrea Moore
Andrea Joan Moore, age 19 and a Davis resident, was killed on I-680 near Sunol on a Sunday afternoon when her car turned into the center divider and then rolled into opposing traffic. Two people in a car driving the other direction were also killed. (San Jose Mercury News, June 28, 1988)
June 21, 1985: Constance Kiger
Constance Mary Kiger, age 45 and a resident of Davis, was killed when her car collided with a truck at the intersection of CR 99 and CR 29. She had run the stop sign while driving on CR 99. (Sacramento Bee, June 22, 1985)
July 3, 1984: Deborah Gowan
Deborah Gowan, a teenage resident of Davis, was killed in a head-on collision on I-80 about 25 miles east of Auburn. The driver of a car on the opposite side of the freeway fell asleep and crossed the median. The driver in Gowan's car was also killed, while two other passengers and the driver of the other car were seriously injured. (Sacramento Bee, July 5, 1984)
February 28, 1984: Bradley Bing
Bradley Bing, age 21 and a student at UC Davis, was riding in the back of a pickup truck with 10 other members of the Kappa Alpha fraternity when the truck flipped over and threw them onto the ground at the intersection of CR 105 and 32A near Davis. Bing was killed. The driver was another member of the fraternity and was booked on misdemeanor charges of manslaughter and reckless driving. (Sacramento Bee, March 15, 1984)
February 28, 1965: Four UC Davis graduate students
Four UC Davis graduate students, Eladio Aranda (November 2, 1940 – February 28, 1965), Suzanne M. Denenny (September 10, 1943 – February 28, 1965), Javier G. Medina (November 5, 1937 – February 28, 1965), and Mary Louise Osborn (January 11, 1942 – February 28, 1965), were killed on I-80 in a head-on collision with a drunken driver who was driving in the wrong direction on the freeway. The drunken driver, Jerry Lee Carey (May 6, 1938 – February 28, 1965) of Sacramento, was also killed in the crash. (Davis Enterprise, September 29, 1997)
Drownings
These are non-roadway drownings and other water-related fatalities.
January 26, 2007: George Sommerdorf
George M. Sommerdorf (March 3, 1956 – January 26, 20073), 50, died after falling through the ice on Donner Lake during a mid-morning skate outing. Residents saw him disappear about 100 feet from shore as he glided around on special stilt-skates. His body was recovered by divers the following day. Sommerdorf was a landscape gardener for UC Davis who has been featured on Home and Garden Television. He designed several topiaries in town, including the 1st Street Topiary.
August 25, 2006: Duc Vo
UC Davis pre-med student Duc M. Vo (October 22, 1985 – 25 August4, 2006) drowned in the American River on Friday, August 25 2006. His body was recovered on Thursday, August 31 about a mile east of Hagan Park in Sacramento, near Mile Marker 16; DART divers, family, friends and other rescuers searched for five days before the body surfaced.
On his last Friday morning, after finishing his physics midterm, Vo and friend John Hoang headed out to the river to celebrate in the new raft they'd bought from Craigslist. Vo had just gone through the class II San Juan rapids when he fell into the water and his life jacket came off. Vo tossed the jacket to a friend in the raft and said he'd swim to shore and meet them to run the rapids once more. A strong swimmer, Vo was pulled by the current across the river. According to Hoang, "He was on a rock for a while. I looked back, and he was in the water swimming to the left bank again. About halfway he stopped swimming. I guess he got tired, he was just trying to stay afloat. The current carried him past me. I tried to catch him. When I thought he was close enough I threw the jacket at him, but it didn't reach." Hoang tried to paddle to Vo, but "he went down and didn't come back up." Hoang jumped into the river but was unable to find his friend.
Duc Vo was an honors student at Tokay High School in Lodi, attended San Joaquin Delta College for a year then transferred to UC Davis, where he majored in chemistry and brought in As. Vo, a first-generation Vietnamese American, aspired to become a neurosurgeon — he volunteered at the American Red Cross and a Sacramento medical clinic.
October 23, 2003: Janell Gohring
Janell Diane Gohring nee Kurk (March 8, 1962 – October 23, 2003) was a fourth-grade teacher in Davis, a UC Davis alumnus, and a wife and mother of three daughters. She drowned in the Feather River near Yuba City at age 41. (UC Davis magazine article)
September 7, 2002: Steven Cannata
UCD Law and MBA student Steven D. Cannata (January 21, 1976 – September 7, 2002) drowned after playing a game of who could hold their breath the longest in a jacuzzi at Cranbook Apartments on September 5 before dawn. He passed out while swimming in an adjacent swimming pool; his friends did not realize the crisis because they thought that he was still playing the game. He was pulled out in a coma and died two days later without regaining consciousness. He and his friends had been consuming alcohol earlier in the day. The death was identified as a "swimming accident" by the Yolo County Coroner. The university identified this as an "alcohol-related" death, although many of his friends dispute this. Steve also attended UC Davis as an undergraduate and was well known throughout Davis. (Davis Enterprise, September 9, 2002)
May 31, 2001: Colin Vetter
Colin P. Vetter (October 9, 1981 – May 31, 2001), a student at UC Davis, drowned from undertow in the Yuba River in an area known as the Emerald Pool. Three friends who were swimming with him tried several times to save him, but they had to take concern for their own safety in the cold water and strong currents. (Davis Enterprise, June 4, 2001)
June 22, 2000: Hind Omer
Hind Omer, age 6, had just completed first grade at Valley Oak Elementary when she drowned in a pool at the Davis Athletic Club. There were other patrons in the pool, but they did not notice her until it was too late. The Davis Athletic Club did not use pool lifeguards at the time. (Davis Enterprise, June 26, 2000)
April 28, 2000: Francis Bossuyt
Francis Bossuyt, age 30 and a UC Davis graduate student, went missing and was presumed drowned after swimming in a remote lake in the Peruvian Amazon. (UC Davis news)
March 27, 2000: Gary Polis, Michael Rose
While on a research expedition, a boating accident took the lives of Dr. Gary Polis (August 28, 1946 – March 27, 2000), chair of the UC Davis Department of Environmental Science & Policy, postgraduate researcher Michael D. Rose (October 5, 1972 – March 27, 2000), and three ecology professors from Kyoto University in Japan: Takuya Abe, Masahiko Higashi and Shigeru Nakano. Five other researchers were rescued, including two UC Davis graduate students, two undergraduates and one postgraduate researcher.
A world expert on scorpions and spiders, Dr. Polis was studying complex food webs and how the sea subsidizes life on desert islands in the Sea of Cortez. The accident occurred just four nautical miles from shore, when one of the groups two open boats was capsized by four- to six-foot waves. US Coast Guard investigators blamed the 24-foot boat for the accident, saying it was inadequate for rough water conditions and lacked a bilge pump or other means of removing water; investigators went on to note that life jackets were on board, but several expedition members weren't wearing them.
The deaths prompted campus to draft new safety regulations for field expeditions. UC Davis planted five memorial trees – one for each scientist who died – in the Arboretum near Putah Creek Lodge. A desert willow that bears burgundy flowers in the summer was planted for Polis, who also conducted research in deserts in California and Namibia. A "Flame" variety of the North American redbud, which comes from the Midwest, was chosen to honor Michael Rose, who grew up in Illinois. A Japanese variety of magnolia was planted in memory of each of the University of Kyoto scientists who died.
March 9, 1997: Emily Schwalen
Emily T. Schwalen (November 28, 1955 – March 9, 1997) of Davis drowned when she was pulled into the Glory Hole spillway at the Monticello Dam at Lake Berryessa. She held onto the edge of the hole for 20 minutes, but could not be safely approached by witnesses. (San Francisco Chronicle, March 12, 1997)
August 2, 1993: Christine Wills
Christine M. Wills, age 23 and a resident of Davis, drowned in the Trinity River while on duty as a counselor at Camp Trinity near Hyampom. She was trying to rescue a camp youth from the river and they both became trapped under a large boulder; the youth managed to escape the river. (Redding Record Searchlight, August 4, 1993)
May 9, 1992: Lane Bridger
Lane Bridger, age 21 and a student at UC Davis, fell of a motorized boat and was presumed drowned in Lake Shasta. The boat's pilot, who was another Davis student, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and drunken boating. (Redding Record Searchlight, May 11, 1992)
January 24, 1989: Sandy Motley
Sandy Motley, age 62, was a resident of Davis, a former mayor of Davis, and the president of Planned Parenthood of the Sacramento Valley. She died from a lung embolism (in other words, the bends) that developed while she was scuba diving off of the coast of Belize. (Sacramento Bee, January 25, 1989)
May 12, 1987: Rachelle Esther Warden
Rachelle Warden (January 3, 1981 – May 12, 1987), a student at Valley Oak Elementary School, drowned in the octagonal kiddie pool at Manor Pool during a birthday party. A lifeguard and other adults attempted CPR and called for an ambulance, but she died at the hospital. Her parents later sued the city for negligence. (Sacramento Bee, May 14, 1987, and September 30, 1987)
April 11, 1982: John Huber, John Stroble
Police Lieutenant John Philip Huber (May 29, 1933 – April 11, 1982) and police Detective John Michael Stroble (December 9, 1955 – April 11, 1982), both of Davis, drowned when their boat sank in bad weather in a race from San Francisco to the Farallon Islands. (AP article in the Kingman Daily Miner, April 12, 1982)
Airplane/skydiving accidents
These are airplane fatalities and skydiving accidents, including those at Yolo County Airport (the home of SkyDance Skydiving School), even though it is not technically in Davis.
July 5, 2009: Casey Daggett
Casey William Daggett, age 41 and a Davis resident, died when his private plane crashed southeast of Lake Tahoe Airport at about 1pm. Daggett had just taken off from that airport and was returning to Davis. Investigators suspected that high altitude and warm air combined to make tricky flying conditions with low lift. (Davis Enterprise, July 8, 2009)
June 27, 2009: Kenneth Knigge
Kenneth Knigge, age 48 and a resident of Martinez, died in a skydiving accident at a festival hosted by SkyDance SkyDiving and Yolo County Airport. He and another skydiver entangled their parachutes during a group jump. The other skydiver was seriously injured but survived. (Davis Enterprise, June 29, 2009)
April 15, 2007: Alexandra Greene Micsunescu
Alexandra Greene Micsunescu, age 28 a fourth-year student at the UC Davis School of Medicine, died in a private airplane crash in Sedona, Arizona. Her uncle, who was the pilot, and her aunt were also killed. The NTSB concluded that the airplane crashed during the attempted landing because of high winds and turbulence, and because of pilot error in these difficult flying conditions. (Tucson Citizen, April 2007; NTSB report LAX07LA130)
December 30, 2006: Clifford Heller
Clifford Heller, 40, was a law student at UC Davis who died in a skydiving accident in Arizona over winter break. Law student dies in skydiving accident (California Aggie 2007-1-4) Mid-air collision with fellow jumper led to UC Davis law student's death (California Aggie 2007-1-5)
June 22, 2002: Daniel Enney
On June 22, 2002, Daniel Enney, age 27 and a resident of Antelope, died from a tandem jump at SkyDance with his instructor, Michael Ryan Gifford, age 26 and a resident of Davis. The main parachute did not open and the reserve chute only partially opened. The divers began to spin and hit the ground at about 20 miles per hour. Enney died at the hospital from internal injuries, while Gifford was also seriously injured but survived. (Davis Enterprise, June 25, 2002)
January 31, 2000: Robert and Jean Gandesbery
Robert C. Gandesbery (March 13, 1930 – January 31, 2000) and Jean J. Gandesbery (February 16, 1930 – January 31, 2000) died in the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 from Puerto Vallarta to Seattle. They were well-known and well-liked long-time residents of Davis. (Davis Enterprise, February 1, 2000)
June 19, 1999: Daniel Dougherty, Lynn Wiley
Lynn Wiley, age 52, and Daniel H. Dougherty (July 2, 1951 – June 19, 1999) were residents of Davis who died along with two other people in the crash of a small skydiving plane that was piloted by Wiley, at Paso Robles Municipal Airport. One of the four skydivers survived with serious injuries. The NTSB reported that the pilot did not properly set the trim stabilizer and that the plane stalled during takeoff. Wiley was an anatomy professor at UC Davis as well as a licensed pilot, while Dougherty was her friend and the owner of the plane. (Sacramento Bee, June 21, 1999; NTSB report LAX99FA220)
June 7, 1998: Ali Shahcheraghian
Ali Shahcheraghian, age 32 and a resident of Davis, was killed in a private plane crash on Mount Baldy in which two other passengers and the pilot also died. The four people were returning to Pomona after a trip to Las Vegas. According to the NTSB, the pilot made a risky descent into cloud-covered, mountainous terrain in his approach to Pomona. (Long Beach Press Telegram, June 12, 1998; NTSB report LAX98FA189)
April 18, 1998: Seth Blake, Stephanie Cotter
On April 18, 1998, Seth Blake, age 28 and a resident of Sacramento, and his student Stephanie Cotter, age 26 and also of Sacramento, both died in a tandem jump at SkyDance. According to FAA records, Blake accidentally deployed the reserve chute first and it became entangled with the main chute. Blake's blood alcohol level was 0.04, which was half of the legal limit for driving; and he also had trace amounts of marijuana. (Sacramento Bee, April 19, 1998, and August 30, 1998)
May 4, 1996: Renata Reich
Renata Reich, age 48 and resident of Larkspur, died in a performance at Woodland airport as part of a Skydance Skydivers team. She made a turn too close to the ground. (Sacramento Bee, May 6, 1996)
July 3, 1995: Caroline Kinnear
Caroline Kinnear, age 27 and a resident of Dallas, died in a balloon flight that started a Yolo County Airport and went over Davis. She was thrown out of the balloon when it hit hard in its planned landing at CR-35 and CR-106. Two other passengers had minor injuries. (Contra Costa Times, July 4, 1995)
May 31, 1989: Jeffrey Kovin, Patricia Scott
Skydance instructor Jeffrey Scott Kovin, age 31 and a Davis resident, and his student Patricia Lynne Scott, age 32 and from Novato, were killed in a tandem jump at Skydance Skydiving Aviation. The main parachute failed, then the emergency parachute got tangled with it and did not slow them down. (Sacramento Bee, June 1, 1989, and April 20, 1998)
August 21, 1987: Name not released
On August 21, 1987, a female skydiver from Oakland (name not released), age 27, died in a solo jump with Skydance Skydiving Aviation, while using her own equipment. Her main parachute did not open, while her reserve chute became entangled with her arm and leg. (Sacramento Bee, August 22, 1987)
July 26, 1987: Allan Bergstein
On July 26, 1987, Allan Bergstein, age 27 and a member of the Danish national skydiving team, died in a mid-air collision in a team jump at SkyDance. He was knocked unconscious and could not deploy his chute. The other jumper broke his leg in the collision. A third jumper in the same dive chased Bergstein down to 1,000 feet to open his chute for him, but he had to abandon the attempt for his own safety. (Sacramento Bee, July 26, 1987)
June 4, 1977: Herbert and Elizabeth Wildenradt
Herbert Louis Wildenradt, age 32 and a Davis resident, and his daughter Elizabeth Carol, age 1, died in an airplane accident near Coalinga. (Davis Enterprise, March 6, 2009; genealogy page)
Miscellaneous accidents
December 25, 2008: Randy Davis
Randall Davis, age 21, the son of Bud and Nanci Davis of Tahoe City, UCD student, apparently died after hitting a tree following an avalanche which occurred in steep terrain above Poulsen's Gully at Squaw Valley. (Davis Enterprise, December 28, 2008)
July 4, 2007: Timothy Libra
Timothy Libra, age 50, accidentally fell and died from a head injury in his apartment in Cranbrook Court. (Davis Enterprise, August 8, 2007)
March 24, 2007: Damon Fawcett
Damon Fawcett, a first-year student at the UC Davis School of Medicine, died while vacationing in Costa Rica. He was 30.
August 7, 2005: Robert and Dorothy Laben
Robert Laben, age 84, was professor emeritus of Animal Sciences at UC Davis, and Dorothy Laben nee Lobb, age 91, taught chemistry at Oklahoma A&M before moving to Davis with her husband. In the 80s and 90s, Dorothy frequently was seen around town loading up a small pickup truck with excess food resources for the Yolo County Food Bank. The Labens died in a remote part of Yolo County where their truck got stuck in rugged terrain on a hot August day. Investigators said it appeared Bob had left the vehicle to seek help and succumbed to heart disease and high blood pressure in the heat. Dorothy initially stayed behind but was found dead two miles from the truck the next day. Her cause of death was not reported in the news media.
June 2005: Hyun Do Ahn
Hyun Do Ahn was a 25-year old UC Davis exchange student from South Korea who died during a 13-day backpacking trip in Yosemite National Park. He studied English and learned how to surf in the States. His body was discovered Saturday morning, August 6, in Tenaya Canyon, northeast of the John Muir Trail, where Ahn embarked on June 20. He was reported missing a month later, on July 21, after missing his scheduled flight home to South Korea. He died of an apparent fall just 20 miles from his starting point. A ranger said that of the last five hikers to go missing in Yosemite, four (including Ahn) traveled alone. "It's not something we encourage," the ranger said.
Ahn picked up a wilderness permit on June 20 at the Yosemite ranger station and set off to hike 212 miles, ending at Mount Whitney on July 1. National Park Service investigators said Ahn apparently altered his hiking route, coming into contact with other hikers on June 22 near Merced Lake and June 25 at Cathedral Lakes. At that time, he apparently said he was headed toward the Sunrise area, east of Cathedral Lakes. At the time of Ahn's hike, the John Muir Trail and other areas of the park were still covered with snow at mid- and high elevations — investigators believed he was unprepared for bad weather. Ahn's disappearance also was investigated by Davis and UC Davis police and the Korean Consulate. Ahn's parents traveled to the US from South Korea to assist in the search. (details excerpted from an article written by ![[MAILTO]](http://wikispot.org/wiki/eggheadbeta/img/email.png){kind=small}
Lauren Keene in the August 8, 2005 issue of The Davis Enterprise)
May 22, 2005: Douglas Sperandio
Douglas A. Sperandio, age 41, was accidentally electrocuted when he fell into his swimming pool while operating a leaf blower. (Davis Enterpise, May 24, 2005)
October 26, 2004: Daisy Kelleher
Daisy L. Kelleher (May 19, 1929 – October 26, 2004) of Davis died in an unspecified accident in her home. (Davis Enterprise, October 28, 2004)
August 3, 2003: Eric Rachesky
Eric Rachesky, a 21-year old UC Davis student, died from an infection resulting from a tattoo he received in a Davis tattoo parlor; it's unknown which parlor administered the artwork because Eric was too weak to speak by the time his family was able to see him. This was the third tattoo for Eric, who had a heart murmur that required him to take antibiotics before dental visits. He died a month later of a massive heart and lung infection, with the autopsy pointing to a bacteria picked up during the tattooing. Eric had just decided to leave UC Davis for San Francisco State where he hoped to earn a degree in kinesiology then move on to become a paramedic. He was a former lacrosse champion at Piedmont High, loved reggae & hip-hop, played the bongos, and built his own mountain bike. At the time of his death, Eric was in training for a marathon. (San Francisco Chronicle article)
2009-08-07 00:34:29 Anyone know anything about this incident?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/08/08/BA284923.DTL&hw=eric&sn=086&sc=353 —Duudee
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The family wound up
going into arbitration with Kaiser, but this belongs on Tragic Events, where there's already an entry about Eric. If you're looking for which parlor, it appears that he was too close to death when found to know who it was. -jw
July 26, 2003: Caleb Maxwell
Caleb Alan Maxwell, age 9 and a resident of Merced, was fatally injured when his racing go-kart flipped and skidded off the track during a Nor-Cal IKF race at the Blue Max Kart Club in Davis. (E-Karting News, July 27, 2003)
May 3, 2003: Neil King
Neil Ted King Jr. was a resident of Lodi and a student at UC Davis who died of a drug overdose. He was found in his bed by his roommates.
January 17, 2003: Vern Trevisanut
Vernon Richard Trevisanut (March 30, 1948 – January 17, 2003) of Dixon died in a work-related accident. He had owned and operated Vern's Commercial Refrigeration in Davis. (Davis Enterprise, January 24, 2003)
May 29, 2002: Zoe Nutter
Cassandra Zoe Nutter, age 17 and a Davis resident, died in a hiking accident at Lake Quilotoa in Ecuador. (Davis Enterprise, July 2, 2002)
April 4, 2000: David Thornton
UCD student David Thornton died on his 21st birthday. He choked on his own vomit a few hours after being served 21 drinks in 90 minutes by a downtown Davis bar called The Paragon (where there is now a different bar called Froggy's). His blood-alcohol level was 0.54. (Sacramento Bee 4/5/01)
A bench dedicated to Thornton outside of Wellman Hall 
The plaque at the base of the bench reads "In Memory of/ David Thornton/ David left us on his 21st birthday, but had lived more/ in his 21 years than most live in a lifetime./ His strength, energy, and love for life remain/ with all who knew and loved him./ April 3, 1979 - April 3, 2000" April 1, 2000: Erik Guly
Erik Matthew Guly (July 11, 1967 – April 1, 2000) of Davis died in an unspecified accident in his home. (Davis Enterprise, April 7, 2000)
November 11, 1999: Oliver Gee
Oliver Harry Gee (November 11, 1969 – November 11, 1999) was an agricultural postdoc working with Kent Bradford at UC Davis. He died in an unspecified accident near Davis while celebrating his 30th birthday. (Davis Enterprise, November 19, 1999)
September 11, 1999: James Miller
James Miller, age 38 and a Davis resident, died while jumping from a rock-climbing wall at a gym in South Lake Tahoe. He landed mid-waist at the edge of the safety mat and hit his head on the concrete floor. (Sacramento Bee, September 13, 1999)
December 14, 1994: Cora Andriessen
Cora Andriessen, age 79, died in a fire at her condominium on Bermuda Avenue in Davis. She was also reported to be terminally ill. (Sacramento Bee, December 22, 1994)
November 17, 1994: Oscar Gomez
Oscar Gomez, age 21 and a student at UC Davis, fell of a cliff at the Pacific coast in Isla Vista near UC Santa Barbara some time between 10am on November 16 and the next morning. The coroner ruled that it was an alcohol-related accidental death. At the time, Gomez was taking the quarter off from school at Davis. (Sacramento Bee, December 4, 1994)
February 18, 1991: Chad Youngs
Chad Youngs, age 17 and a resident of Davis, died when he fell from a cliff in Yosemite National Park. He was scrambling (climbing on rocks without ropes) near the Sunnyside campground. (Fresno Bee, February 20, 1991)
March 22, 1988: Pandora Chapman
Pandora Chapman, age 26 and a resident of Davis, died in an avalanche while skiing on Sale Mountain in British Columbia. She was one of a group of four expert skiers who were helicopter skiing in the area; one of the other skiers was also buried in the avalanche but was saved. (Sacramento Bee, March 24, 1988)
July, 1984: Martha Doyle
Martha Gail Doyle, age 31 and a resident of Davis, was found in the trunk of a car in the parking lot of the West Capitol Avenue Safeway in West Sacramento. The Yolo County coroner later determined that she had choked on a wad of chewing gum. At the time investigators had not determined why she was in the trunk of the car. (Sacramento Bee, August 9, 1984)
Homicides
March 24, 2007: Jess Reiter
Jess Reiter, age 36 and a resident of Sacramento, was the circulation manager for The Davis Enterprise. He was shot and killed during an attempted carjacking before dawn on Saturday, after an evening of partying with friends on Friday night. The shooting was in a residential area, in front of Reith Elementary School in South Sacramento. (Davis Enterprise, March 25, 2007)
June 3-11, 2006: John Finley Scott
John Finley Scott was murdered by his handyman in his home just west of Davis in June, 2006. "Finley" was a retired professor of sociology with an interest in trains and bicycles. He was the first inventor of the modern mountain bike, combining knobby tires in a 10 speed shifting system and riding it off-road in the 1950s. (Web article)
December 14, 2004: Martin Soriano
At 5:06pm on Tuesday December 14th 2004, three University of California police officers responded to a suspicious persons report. A man later identified as 26-year-old Martin Louie Castro Soriano had been loitering outside the On Campus Co-ops near Regan Hall. After police attempted to subdue him with several taser shots, he opened fire on them. The police returned fire. Paramedics were dispatched; however, the suspect died at the scene. School officials stated that this is the first officer-related shooting death in the history of the UC Davis campus. The victim was not a UC Davis student, and it was confirmed that he was on methamphetamine and marijuana at the time.
Some Links:
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California Aggie - includes eyewitness accounts
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UCD Livejournal thread - some co-op people who saw the shooting.
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Another UCD Official Press Release which says that the suspect was not a UCD student.
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Account (no need to register, just scroll down) by a resident of the On Campus Co-ops
November 18, 2004: Dennis Thrower
Dennis E. Thrower (August 25, 1969 – November 18, 2004) was shot and killed shortly before 6am at his doorway at the Tennis Club Apartments on Cowell Boulevard. Neighbors heard an argument followed by shots. On January 5, 2005, Eric Steven Chase of Oakland was arrested and eventually charged with the murder; a year later Chase was still awaiting trial. (The Daily Democrat, January 16, 2006)
September 30, 2000: Charles McNeill
Charles T. McNeill (December 2, 1970 – September 30, 2000), a resident of West Sacramento, was accidentally shot and killed by his friend Lester Lasker at Lasker's apartment on Adams Street in Davis. Lasker jokingly fired what he thought was an unloaded gun at McNeill. (Davis Enterprise, October 3, 2000)
August 13, 1998: Jose Reyes
The body Jose Reyes (March 7, 1941 – August 13, 1998), a farm worker from Dixon, was discovered on the northern bank of Putah Creek. A Solano County employee tending some tree seedlings discovered Reyes' body near a bridge on Old Davis Road, about one mile south of Interstate 80. In that area, the center of the creek serves as the boundary between UC Davis and Solano County. Two adult nephews of Reyes identified the body and said their uncle is an unemployed farm worker whose permanent residence is in Mexico.
Reyes was believed by police to have been beaten and thrown from the 40-foot bridge in a robbery attempt. Police arrested Ruben Campos and Juan Palomino, both 21, as well as Guadalupe Franklin, 41, in connection with the death. Two men with no connection to UC Davis were later tried for the murder. (source)
Investigators have traced the crime back to the afternoon of August 12, when Reyes and the three suspects met up in Dixon and began drinking. About 2am, police believe the four acquaintances went for a ride and ended up at Putah Creek and Old Davis roads, where they pulled over to the shoulder of the two-lane roadway and stayed for about ten minutes. At some point, police believe the three demanded Reyes hand over his money, he refused, and they began kicking and punching him before casting his body over the bridge. Police allege he lay there for several hours before being discovered about 10 to 15 feet from the water's edge. An autopsy report indicated Jose Reyes died of internal bleeding, and confirmed investigators' belief that a beating took place. (source)
February 28, 1998: Kevin Ruska
The body of Kevin Ruska, a 23-year-old resident of Washington State, was found in the Motel 6 on Chiles Road. Ruska was shot by his ex-girlfriend Terebea Williams in Tacoma, Washington. Williams then drove south for 12 hours and left Ruska in the Motel 6, where he died of an infection from the shooting. (Davis Enterprise, March 3, 1998)
January 6, 1994: Emanuel Bermudez
Emanuel Bermudez (? – January 6, 1994), age 14 months, died after being beaten for six to eight weeks by his father at their Cranbook Court apartment, according to court records. His father was convicted of murder and child abuse (and was denied parole in November, 2008), while his mother was convicted of child endangerment. The Bermudez family also had two other children, who were not physically harmed to the same degree. (Sacramento Bee, January 7, 1994; Davis Enterprise, November 19, 2008)
July 8, 1993: John O'Friel
John O'Friel, age 46 and a resident of San Bruno, was a computer instructor in Davis. He was beaten to death in Sycamore Park by a 17-year-old Davis resident and a 21-year-old accomplice from San Francisco. Davis police thought that O'Friel had met these two people deliberately. They said that while the primary motive was to steal O'Friel's car, the homicide was also a hate crime motivated by O'Friel's bisexuality. (Sacramento Bee, September 2, 1993)
April 24, 1992: Andrew Mockus
14-year-old Holmes Junior High School student Andrew Mockus was chased from the AM/PM near University Mall to the railroad tracks near the east end of the Arboretum. He was then severely beaten, robbed of two dollars and fatally pushed into a moving train by 17-year-old Michael Johnson, 16-year-old Andrew Childs, and 14-year-old Joshua Bettencourt. The suspects were Davis residents and students at King High School. (UC Davis article)
1992: Cesar Rodriguez
Cesar Rodriguez, age 24 and a deliveryman for UC Davis, was found shot to death in a shallow grave in El Dorado National Forest. A bulldozer unearthed his grave by chance in December, 1992. (Sacramento Bee, November 21, 1993)
November 24-25, 1986: Theresa Dawn Clark
Theresa Dawn Clark, age 28 and a UC Davis graduate, was seen at a job interview on the morning of November 24 and at Albertson's Food Center on Eighth Street that evening. The next morning her backpack was found on I-80 near Mace Boulevard; she had disappeared. She was found, murdered, on March 1, 1987; the case is unsolved. (Sacramento Bee, March 25, 1990)
July 3, 1986: Peter Anders
Peter Anders, age 41 and a resident of Davis, was found shot to death at his office in Sacramento. A tenant who owed Anders rent was later convicted of killing him. According to court testimony, another man had also been hired by the perpetrator to kill Anders at his home in Davis, but the hired hit man was persuaded by his brother to drive back to Sacramento. (Sacramento Bee, August 9, 1986, February 27, 1987, and June 20, 1987)
January 18, 1985: Fred Morris
Physics lecturer Fred Morris was beaten to death with a hammer in a men's room on the second floor of the Physics-Geology Building by a deranged Sacramento man named Jeffrey Jones. On January 21, Jones killed another man named Harry Dong at Sutter's Fort and then nearly killed medical student John Rowland at UC Davis Medical Center, both again with his claw hammer in restrooms. On January 22, Jones killed staff physician Michael Corbett in the same fashion at UCDMC, and that time he was caught. (UC Davis News, December 14, 2004 and California Supreme Court hearing, March 10, 1997)
April 29, 1984: Tzieh-Tseih "Frank" Luo
Tzieh-Tseih "Frank" Luo was a 35-year-old graduate student at UC Davis close to finishing his doctorate. He was killed by a mugger near his Sycamore Lane apartment; the mugger became enraged and stabbed Luo because he only had 22 cents with him. The case was unsolved for several years. (Sacramento Bee, January 17, 1989)
May 4, 1983: Thong Hy Huynh
Thong Hy Huynh, age 17, was stabbed to death during a racially-motivated confrontation involving several students at Davis Senior High School. Police eventually charged a DHS student named James "Jay" Pierman. (UC Davis article)
March 29, 1981: Ellen Hansen
Ellen Hansen, an undergraduate at UC Davis, was shot and killed by David Carpenter while hiking in Henry Cowell Redwood State Park. Her boyfriend Steve Haertle was also shot but survived. Carpenter was arrested a month and a half later and was eventually convicted of several murders; as of 2009 he is still in prison. (TruTV Crime Library)
December 1980: Sabrina Gonsalves, John Riggins
Memorial plaque by ASUCD in front of an evergreen in the arboretum
In 1980, tragedy struck The Davis Children's Nutcracker. UC Davis students Sabrina Gonsalves and John Riggins, who were part of the staff of that year's production, were kidnapped and ultimately murdered after attending a rehearsal. Thanks in part to investigative reporting by Joel Davis, a suspect was found in September 2004. A preliminary hearing took place in January 2007 to determine if the suspect should stand trial for the murders. Links: Aggie 2004 Enterprise 2007
March 4, 1980: Robin Ehlman, John Manville
Daniel Wehner, 26, the former boyfriend of UC Davis transfer student Robin Ann Ehlman (September 30, 1959 – March 4, 1980), arrived at Ehlman's Castilian North dorm in Cuarto and twice shot her new boyfriend, John Kevin Manville (January 3, 1955 – March 4, 1980), also a UCD student. As Ehlman attempted to flee to her room, Wehner shot her in the back. Ehlman's suitemates watched the whole crime take place, and Wehner fled after the shootings. Ehlman died at the scene and Manville died 90 minutes later at what was then Davis Community Hospital. Police pulled Wehner over later the same day, and the gun he used to kill Ehlman and Manville was on the passenger seat. Wehner was sentenced to 17 years to life. As of August 2006, Wehner is eligible for parole and has asked to be released in Roseville, about 45 minutes northeast of Davis. Link: California Aggie Article. Wehner's parole was denied in October 2008.
September 5, 1977: Elizabeth Mary Wolf
Elizabeth Mary Wolf (February 6, 1950 – September 5, 1977) was stabbed to death at her apartment home in Davis in a murder that was unsolved for many years (and could still be unsolved). A serial killed named Henry Lee Lucas confessed to this murder among 600 others, but police doubt this confession. (Sacramento Bee, April 16, 1985)
September 13, 1977: Khalid Al-Shaibani
Khalid Al-Shaibani, age 27 and a student at UC Davis, was shot and killed in his Orchard Park apartment by Saleh Al-Alem, a Davis student from Jordan. Al-Shaiban's wife Sundis was also shot but survived. (UC Davis news; Los Angeles Times, September 14, 1977)
June 29, 1968: Jim Rowe
Jim Rowe, age 21 and a resident of Davis with his parents, was killed by a sniper while serving in Vietnam, two days before his return home.
September 7, 1959: Douglas Cantrill
Davis Police Officer Douglas Eugene Cantrill (January 10, 1936 – September 7, 1959) was shot and killed with his service revolver at his patrol car. He left behind a widow and young daughter. Investigators concluded that someone, probably a subject who Cantrill confronted that day, grabbed the revolver from his holster and shot him. Two years later, an arrest warrant was issued, but that suspect was never extradited to California. (Davis Enterprise, May 15, 1998)
Murder-suicides
September 3, 2007: Kahja Taylor, Taylor Ward
35-year-old Kahja Lauree Taylor and her 9-year-old daughter Taylor Ward, who were residents of Sacramento, were killed when an Oakland-bound Union Pacific train slammed into their car at 10:40 p.m. at the train crossing on County Road 32a and County Road 105. The coronor's office ruled that Taylor had deliberately parked her car and waited for the train. (USA Today, February 28, 2008)
July 23, 1996: Ajit Singh
Ajit Singh was a 22 year old UC Davis math major. She was involved in a breakup with her boyfriend, John Vokes, a 28 year old Air Force sergeant, when she shot him in her car multiple times. Singh then exited the car, and then shot herself in the chest. The murder-suicide took place in Winters. A note found in the car indicated that the murder may have been premeditated. (Sacramento Bee, July 25, 1996)
January 29, 1995: Brendan Patrick Berger
Brendan Berger (November 20, 1992 – January 29, 1995) was the son of Yery (Ruiz) Berger of Davis and Daniel Patrick Berger (November 24, 1961 – January 29, 1995) of Sacramento; his parents were in the midst of an acrimonious divorce. Daniel killed himself and Brendan by asphyxiation from automobile exhaust during a custody visitation in Sacramento. (Sacramento Bee, November 20, 1995)
April 7, 1972: McFarland Family
UC Davis professor Larry Z. McFarland (December 16, 1931 – April 8, 19725) killed his wife and three children—Michael W. McFarland (March 10, 1958 – April 8, 1972), Kenneth A. McFarland (August 11, 1961 – April 8, 1972), and Nina S. McFarland (October 15, 1962 – April 8, 1972)—in an upstairs bedroom, set fire to his house, then returned to the same bedroom to shoot himself. His house, the Chiles Mansion in East Davis, has never been rebuilt.
Suicides
For Immediate help with suicide, please see Suicide Prevention of Yolo County
December 1, 2008: Richard Walker
The body of veterinary professor Richard Langan Walker Jr. (April 22, 1952 – December 1, 2008) was found on the shore of Bodega Bay at the Salmon Creek State Beach after an apparent suicide. He was widely known for his work in bacteriology and his work at the Food Safety Laboratory.
March 18, 2008: William Albrecht
William Robert Albrecht (August 27, 1989 – March 18, 2008), an accomplished student in the Davis public school system, committed suicide after suffering from bipolar disorder for several years. He was living at home with his parents and younger brother and sister at the time. (Davis Enterprise, March 23, 2008)
July 25, 2007: Name not released
A San Francisco man deliberately crashed his car on westbound I-80 at 8:00AM, then committed suicide with a razor at the side of the road. His name was not released by authorities pending notification of his family. (Davis Enterprise, July 25, 2007)
January 22, 2007: Jennifer Tse
Jennifer Tse, 20, a junior at UC Davis, took her own life at her Davis apartment.
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Jennifer Tse remembered by UC Davis community (California Aggie 2007-2-28)
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UC Davis student found dead in apartment (California Aggie 2007-2-09)
November 1, 2006: Hung-Chieh Chai
UC Davis pharmacology and toxicology graduate student Hung-Chieh Chai, 25, was found dead on the third floor of Sproul Hall on campus. His death was later ruled a suicide.
Link from The California Aggie:
April 24, 2006: Jesse Newberry
The 24-year-old Davis man was killed after being struck by an Amtrak passenger train. The incident is being investigated as a suicide. See: Davis Enterprise 4/25/2006, Davis Enterprise 4/26/2006
January 3, 2006: Nima Shaterian
Nima Shaterian Nima Shaterian (July 2, 1987 – January 3, 2006), a UC Davis freshman in Tercero J Building, committed suicide with a rifle at home in Novato, CA. He was 18 years old. (San Francisco Chronicle, January 15, 2006) October 19, 2005: Beverly "Bev" Paul
Beverly "Bev" Paul, age 26 and a UC Davis graduate student, was struck and killed by a tractor trailer while walking on I-5 in Sacramento without identification. Her car was parked at UC Davis Medical Center four miles away. She had been missing for a week and was rumored to be under treatment for depression. (UC Davis news article, Davis Enteprise, October 27, 2005)
January 20, 2005: Naum Jeffrey Phleger
Naum Jeffrey Phleger (February 5, 1978 – January 20, 2005), a UC Davis graduate student in biophysics, was found dead outside of King Hall (near the corporation yard) amidst a grove of trees. The cause of death was determined to be suicide by cyanide. He was well-regarded for his academic talents, widely thought-of as outgoing and friendly, and was rather famous for his many dozens of excellent dinner parties. He was also a well-liked regular at Delta of Venus. A scholarship has been established in his name.
Background links
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Grad student found dead on campus (21 Jan '05)
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UCD graduate student remembered fondly (3 Feb '05)
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Cause of death determined (link does not work)
A previous contributor to this page alleged that The California Aggie committed a series of editorial gaffes in the two Aggie articles referenced above.
December 18, 2004: Adam S. Ojakian
UC Davis student Adam S. Ojakian (June 7, 1983 – December 18, 2004) committed suicide with a gun in his city apartment, after his last final before winter break. He was a dedicated Unitrans bus driver and a well loved member of the community. There has been some talk about naming one of the double decker buses after him. (Palo Alto Online article, December 20, 2004)
May 22, 2004: Patrick Allison
Patrick Evan Allison (November 8, 1979 – May 22, 2004) was found decapitated at the train tracks south of Third and J Streets. He had been living in Davis at Pine Tree Gardens, a residential treatment program for mentally ill adults. The coroner's office investigated the case as a suicide. (Davis Enterprise, May 24, 2004)
December 6, 2003: Amy Holverstott
Amy Elizabeth Holverstott (January 14, 1984 – December 6, 2003) jumped from the Highway 113 overpass at Sycamore Park and was then hit by a car and fatally injured. She had suffered from depression for several years and lived with her parents at the time. (Davis Enterprise, December 22, 2003)
November 11, 2003: Matthew Scheid
Matthew David R. H. Scheid (October 31, 1982 – November 11, 2003) of Davis was found dead from a gunshot wound in a parked car on Holly Lane, near a house on Radcliffe Drive where he was "known to hang out". Police did not initially decide whether his death was a homicide or a suicide. The lack of later publicity suggests that they did not pursue a homicide theory. (See also the comments section.) (Davis Enterprise, November 13, 2003)
October 22, 2003: Hugh "Pat" Patterson
Hugh "Pat" Patterson, who lived in Davis, was a successful professor and teacher in the Anatomy Department at UCSF. At age 61, he committed suicide by hanging from an oak tree on UC Davis campus. A crumpled note stuffed in his pocket said he was unable to cope with his "impending failure" in a course he was teaching. (Sacramento Bee, November 16, 2003)
September 1, 2002: Barrett William Klenke
UC Davis Summer Sessions student Barrett William Klenke of Modesto was found dead in a parking lot outside Webster Hall; he had fallen off the building. A Student Housing employee discovered the body at 8:24am and called paramedics immediately. Attempts to revive the 20-year-old computer science major failed. A note discovered in Klenke's room suggested suicide. (UCSB student paper reprint, September 30, 2002)
July 25, 2002: Louis D. Owens
Louis D. Owens (July 18, 1948 – July 25, 2002) was an English professor at UC Davis who taught courses in both English and Native American studies. He committed suicide in Albuquerque (he lived with his family in New Mexico) after two years of campus service. (Davis Enterprise, October 17, 2002)
January 4, 2001: Andrew Wieman
Andrew Vernon Wieman (June 19, 1980 – January 4, 2001), a junior from Eureka, California, was found in his room at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house with multiple stab wounds to the neck and chest. The Yolo County Coroner's Office has determined the cause of Wieman's death to be from those wounds. Investigators declared the death a suicide although prior to the incident Wieman's behavior did not indicate that he was feeling suicidal, he had 29 stab wounds. A suicide note was found at the scene and the writing was determined to be Andrew's. The death was initially ruled "suspicious" but after a year in this pending status, the Yolo County Coroner's Office ruled it suicide. While the UC Davis Department headed the investigation, the California Department of Justice was brought in to assist. After the death was ruled to be a suicide, Andrew's parents hired a private investigator to re-examine the evidence. This investigator determined that the death was the result of a homicide, but the case was not reopened by the police. (See also the comments section.)
July 29, 1999: Ann Christine Birrell
Ann Christine Birrell (May 2, 1930 – July 29, 1999) of Davis walked past the lowered crossing arms at the Eighth Street train crossing and was hit by a train. She had a history of mental illness, including previous suicide attempts. (Davis Enterprise, August 1, 1999, and August 11, 1999)
April 21, 1999: Paul J. Sykes
Paul J. Sykes (January 28, 1969 – April 21, 1999) was a talented performance artist and musician who worked at the Varsity Theater. He was found hanged at his home by wife. The Yolo County coroner ruled that his death was a suicide. This ruling was disputed by his family, who maintained that his death was a rehearsal accident. (Davis Enterprise, July 26, 1999)
1998: Hai Ho
Hai Ho, age 28 and a resident of UC campus housing, committed suicide. His wife was a UC Davis student. (Sacramento Bee, Wednesday, January 17, 2001)
December 17, 1997: Qasim Shah
Qasim A. Shah (August 13, 1980 – December 17, 1997) was a young Davis resident whose death was investigated as a possible suicide. (Davis Enterprise, December 30, 1997)
December 15, 1997: Robert Schulze III
Robert Currey Schulze III (January 24, 1973 – December 15, 1997) was a Davis resident whose death was ruled a suicide. (Davis Enterprise, December 30, 1997)
November 28, 1997: Evan Rippee
Evan Michael Rippee (October 30, 1982 – November 28, 1997) was a young resident of Davis who died at home and whose death was investigated as a possible suicide. (Davis Enterprise, December 30, 1997)
August 21, 1992: Mike Wise
Michael Allen "Mike" Wise (June 5, 1964 – August 21, 1992) was a former football player for UC Davis and the Los Angeles Raiders. He committed suicide with a gun at his home in the neighborhood around the Davis Golf Course. (Sacramento Bee, August 29, 1992)
February 9, 1987: James Donnell
James Raymond Donnell (November 13, 1955 – February 9, 1987) shot himself in the head while driving and crashed his car into the Davis police station, which was then on Third Street (where Bistro 33 is now). (Sacramento Bee, February 10, 1987)
May 1, 1886: Mr. Wilsenhausen
Early in the morning as freight train No. 9 moved through Davisville, a stranger was seen to lie down and place his head in front of the wheels of a traincar. The brakeman pushed him off the rail, after which he deliberately awaited another train only to be thwarted by the brakeman once more. On his third attempt, he successfully managed to decapitate himself, as the wheel caught and dragged him seventy-five yards. In the deceased man's pocket was a prescription bottle for "Mr. Wilsenhausen," written by Dr. Maas of San Francisco, dated April 27 1886.
Animal deaths
August 21, 2004: Primate Research Center monkeys
Seven monkeys were killed due to negligence at UC Davis's Primate Research Center.
The Primate Center contains around 4600 non-human primates to breed or experiment on.
Comments:
Note: You must be logged in to add comments
(undated) These comments are a discussion of the death of Andrew Wieman.
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I remember hearing that he was stabbed 27 times in the back. This happened before I (KenBloom) came to Davis in Fall 2001. The police ruled this a suicide, but I can't believe that a person could have enough motor control to stab himself the 27th time.
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Andrew's wounds were to his neck and chest — not back. -PaulLanzi
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Many people who have been in the Greek system for awhile claim that this death was probably the result of a homicide, not a suicide. Apparently the Wiemen (who I believe was the President of Kappa Sigma at the time) and the rest of his fraternity had a rivalry with one of the neighboring fraternities due to a history of violent past events. Many claim that brothers from the rival fraternity killed Wieman, and set it up to look like a suicide, forging a note and everything. However this is all JUST a rumor, but a lot of people consider this a possible theory for his mysterious death. - AbbyLawson
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Andrew was not an officer in Kappa Sigma at the time -PaulLanzi
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Having known Andrew since junior high school, it is my opinion, and the opinion of his parents, a private investigator hired by his parents, his close Eureka friends and his fraternity brothers that his death was the result of a criminal act — not suicide. -PaulLanzi
* A couple of things are missing here. The prime person of interest in this case threatened to go to Kappa Sigma with the intent to cause bodily harm - he did this at least twice and those threats were made during interviews with Davis Police Officers. Furthermore, the individual has a violent history and also seems to be somewhat racist (he is of Korean ancestry), based on comments he has made during confrontations in Davis(as documented in Davis Police Reports).
The UCD Administration, the Yolo County DA's Office and the Davis Police Department all had reasons for wanting to suppress the truth about this matter and many people think that is precisely what happened. SAH
(undated) These comments are a discussion of the death of Matthew Scheid. The discovery of his body, at first unidentified, led to rumors about what had happened.
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It is rumored that there was a murder in a driveway of Radcliffe Drive during the winter of 2003-4. Neighbors report it happening but the police seem to have covered it up. Please post information if you have it.
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TaylorStreet: My friend who lived on Radcliffe claims that the body was found in a car in front of a house that allegedly housed a meth lab.
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I know the family whos son was found dead in the car, his name was M. Scheid. I found the article on the davis enterprise site, but I didn'twant to become a member just to get the link to the article.Here's what I found though if you look at archives: Death in Davis is suspicious Author: Lauren Keene/Enterprise staff writer Publish Date: November 12, 2003
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I had a freind who lived across the street from the murder. Now I don't know how much of this is fact, but the rumor at the time is that a body was found in a car who had died of shotgun wounds. There was a pistol in the car, but there was no shotgun, but the death was ruled a suicide anyways. - BenjaminRosenstein
I recall this being heavy in the rumor mills, but never seeing anything confirmed about it. Internet rumor? Davis Enterprise has zippo. I'm thinking of visiting the Davis PD this week to confirm/deny/detail these entries. — jw
I currently live in the house that was a "meth lab", Acadian Properties told us that it house crack heads who were evicted and put in jail for property violations. I wonder if it is true that there was a murder in my driveway. - JackHaskel
Document ID: 105D1168334C59BD
Davis police lift a barrier Tuesday on Holly Lane to let a coroner's vehicle proceed to the site of a suspicious death.Davis police and the Yolo County coroner's office are investigating a suspicious death involving a man in his early 20s. The investigation began with a phone call to police at 6:07 a.m. Tuesday by someone reporting that a body had been discovered in the area of Holly Lane and Radcliffe Drive, west of the Davis High School. - myabrn
2004-12-23 18:27:07 uh...suicide by decapitation??? —BevSykes
2004-12-23 18:41:23 Being on railroad tracks will do that. I'd be interested in seeing a later report, as more than six months have passed and the linked article was written the next day with few details —KrisFricke
2004-12-23 22:37:24 Surely the engineer would have reported the train running over someone? —JamesDawe
2005-03-03 11:01:28 Often trains are going slowly at intersections of different railroad systems, and to avoid the train stopping, people can approach the moving train after the engine has passed... —DavidBenjamin
2005-02-23 18:14:38 I was on a train (the 12:25 Capitol Corridor southbound) last friday that hit and killed somebody(In hayward). The train was delayed 2 hours while law enforcement and the coroner came to deal with the situation. At least one news channel picked up the story as well. —KenBloom
2005-08-17 20:31:41 I was living across the street and next door to the "meth lab" when the man was shot and killed in his car, apparently at about 3am. The police questioned the whole street. (and definitely covered it up.) —JessicaTollefsrud
2008-12-01 17:20:55 This comment refers to the documented death of Matthew Scheid. It seems to be true that the police suppose that it was a suicide, although I would not say that that means that it was a "covered up". —GregKuperberg
2006-07-27 12:17:05 Don't remember the details but you're definitely missing the story of the guy that got hit by a MAC truck while wondering around on 113 drunk in the middle of the night. Would have 01-02 some time. —MeganCurtis
2007-09-12 23:05:08 Freddy, I will miss you more than I can ever put into words. You were the only one that made me feel so right. I loved you more than I ever told you. Now I will never be able to tell you just how I felt about you. R.I.P. Fred Nightbear Iyotte —Califasrocker
2008-05-24 10:53:47 Why is it that almost none of these aggie links work? What's the point of them? —SunjeetBaadkar
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The Aggie recently re-did their website and host and has not put up any archives yet. This is a big problem because there are probably hundreds of Aggie links through out the wiki. -JimSchwab
2008-09-20 23:32:01 Colin Vetter is not listed. —rip
2009-03-30 19:54:52 Hi David. My convention has to been to put the most commonly used name in the title of each entry and the most complete name in the blurb for the entry. That way the table of contents is a little easier to read. —GregKuperberg
- 1The SSDI gives his date of death as December 2, 1998.
- 2Identified in newspaper stories in Davis and Solano County as well as the Social Security Death Index, and thus a matter of public record.
- 3The SSDI says January 27.
- 4The SSDI says August 31.
- 5This is the date that the CA Death Index Summary gives, not April 7, 1972.
