Two employees of Clos Pepe Winery were found drowned Wednesday night in an irrigation pond on the winery property in the Santa Rita Hills west of Buellton. Ramon When Cisneros Acosta, 43, and Rogelio Ruiz Reyez, 29, had been reported missing to Lompoc Police Wednesday evening after they did not return home from work. Investigators searching the grounds found the men dead around the following day.
According to a statement from the Sherrif’s Department, investigators believe one man had been aboard a kayak, working on the irrigation pond’s filtration system when he fell into the water. The second man apparently dove in to rescue him and drowned as well. The statement notes the men were found in five and eight feet of water, respectively.
No foul play is suspected. The incident has so far been deemed an accident.