Man found in flooded ditch near Rohnert Park identified

A man who died after being rescued Friday from a flooded roadside ditch near Rohnert Park was identified as Terrance Timothy Russell, 69, of Santa Rosa, Sonoma County coroner officials said Monday.

Russell was found in a culvert filled with about a foot of water about 7 p.m. Friday along Stony Point Road north of Wilfred Avenue, Sgt. Adrian Mancilla said. He was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and died that night.

Russell may have experienced a medical emergency, but the cause of his death is pending a forensic examination, Mancilla said.

Russell was found after a puzzling set of circumstances. An initial 5 p.m. 911 caller reported a person in a ditch, possibly a bicyclist, on Stony Point Road near Highway 116, according to the California Highway Patrol. Officers and emergency responders searched the area but didn’t find anyone.

Then, just before 7 p.m., residents about a mile north on Stony Point Road near Wilfred Avenue reported hearing someone screaming, apparently in distress. A deputy found Russell in about a foot of water in the culvert, “almost nonresponsive,” sheriff’s officials said. The deputy and Rincon Valley firefighters administered CPR until he was rushed to the hospital.

The CHP said they found an adult-sized tricycle near the man.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 707-521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.