Colusa man found dead in Sea Ranch home was Vietnam veteran

One of the two men found dead this week in a Sea Ranch home where investigators suspect possible carbon monoxide poisoning was remembered by a fellow military veteran as a well-known and beloved member of his Sacramento Valley community.

Gene Beauchamp, 74, was an Army veteran and served in the Vietnam War. He had been active with the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Colusa for the past 20 years, fellow member Richard Paletta told The Press Democrat Friday.

“He was an outstanding member of the community. Helps with anything and everything,” said Paletta, 79, an Air Force veteran who also served in Vietnam.

Beauchamp and Phil Mabray, a 61-year-old resident of Biggs in Butte County, were found dead Wednesday at a home on Spinnaker Close in The Sea Ranch, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Information about Mabray was not immediately available, but Paletta said he and Beauchamp were family members, calling them brothers-in-law.

They were discovered by a crew from Gualala-based Gonzalez Tree Service that had been called in to remove a tree that fell onto the home

Investigators have not said who called the company or when that call was placed.

A representative of Gonzalez Tree Service, declined to comment Friday.

The exact causes of death are being investigated, but the Sheriff’s Office has pointed to evidence indicating possible carbon monoxide poisoning.

A generator was discovered in a hallway of the home, its switch on and its fuel tank empty, the Sheriff’s Office said.

A distinct odor of fumes filled the home Wednesday upon the arrival of firefighters and deputies. There were no signs of foul play or other trauma.

Paletta last heard Tuesday from Beauchamp, who told him he wouldn’t be able to make Wednesday’s VFW meeting.

News of his death prompted an outpouring of condolences on social media, where he was described as a husband, father and grandfather and rice farmer.

Paletta said Beauchamp was especially active with the VFW, which participated in activities across the community.

“He was one of our post veteran members and it was hard on the post trying to tell them we lost our guy,” Paletta said.

The deaths followed a Jan. 4 wind-driven storm that cut electricity to hundreds of homes in The Sea Ranch and up to 20,000 homes and businesses across Sonoma County.

The Sea Ranch is a planned community of about 1,900 homes along the northernmost Sonoma Coast. Multiple residents contacted by The Press Democrat said they did not know the two men found in the house.

According to Sea Ranch officials, about a third of the homes in the community are occupied full time, a third are weekenders and the remainder are vacation and long-term rentals.

Sea Ranch Association representatives declined to say if Mabray or Beauchamp were known owners, residents or guests of the Spinnaker Close home.

Neither appeared in a search of property records tied to the property.

PG&E representatives have yet to provide information on the timing of any outages in the neighborhood.

If linked to storm-related fallout, the deaths would add to the toll of four people killed since Jan. 4 in Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

The previous storm-related deaths in Sonoma and Mendocino counties include a 43-year-old Ukiah woman who drowned in her flood-trapped car east of Forestville, where her body was discovered in the vehicle off Trenton-Healdsburg Road on Wednesday.

A 68-year-old Fort Bragg woman was killed early Monday when a tree fell on her home as she slept.

A 2-year-old Occidental boy was killed Jan. 4 when a tree fell on his home. A 37-year-old Elk Grove man was killed Jan. 7 in a Manchester vehicle crash while he worked as a contracted crew member for Pacific Gas and Electric Co.

Press Democrat reporter Alana Minkler contributed to this story

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi