Deaths of California men found in home with generator on prompts rare investigation

Two California men were found dead inside a Sea Ranch home Wednesday after authorities found a generator in a hallway. 

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims as 74-year-old Gene Beauchamp, of Colusa, and 61-year-old Phil Mabray, of Biggs.

On Thursday, the Sheriff’s Office said that, at around 11:22 a.m. PT, dispatch received a call that two men had been found deceased inside a house in the 300 block of Spinnaker Close. 

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A tree crew found the men when they came to the house to remove a tree that had previously fallen on it, causing minor damage.

CalFire firefighters were the first to respond to the scene, where they pronounced Beauchamp and Mabray dead.

Deputies responded to start the death investigation, finding that the men were in separate bedrooms and that the power switch of the generator was turned on and the fuel tank was empty. 

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“It is dangerous to operate generators inside a building. Generators release noxious fumes that can result in carbon monoxide poisoning and death,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. “Always operate your generator outside and at least 20 feet away from occupied buildings.”

SFGate reported Thursday that an investigation like this is a rare occurrence in the remote community. 

“I don’t think I’ve heard of anything like this in the last five years,” Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Rob Dillion said, adding that there are no signs of foul play and that the department had yet to receive toxicology report results.

CBS San Francisco said Thursday that Sea Ranch had been experiencing widespread power failures due to the storms.