Dead Man on Parker Way

[UPDATE]: Victim Identified as 27-Year-Old Ian Sanchez; Death Not Considered Suspicious

Crime Scene Investigator Mike Ullemeyer (left) and Detective Michael Claytor work the scene at 31 Parker Way where a man fell to his death.

Santa Barbara police are investigating a man’s fatal fall from a two-story building, and it isn’t clear if he jumped or was pushed from the roof or a second-story window.

Details on the incident are slim, but police responded around 6:40 a.m. to a “man down” call and found a man lying in a pool of blood outside the door of Crimson Day Spa and Boutique at 31 Parker Way, a small street near where Chapala dead ends into Highway 101. The boutique is part of Parker Way Plaza, a mixed-use building with apartments on the upper floor.

Police tape off a section of 31 Parker Way where a man fell to his death.

The man’s age and identity are unknown. Police on the scene were unclear as to whether the man had died, but a watch commander, responding to a phone call from The Independent, said the man was dead.

There’s an open window to what appears to be an apartment right above the boutique. Police have removed the awning of the store as part of their investigation, according to news editor Tyler Hayden, who is on the scene. They are awaiting a warrant to get into the building, Det. Michael Claytor told Hayden, though it appears the man did indeed fall. The forensics unit is also on scene.

[UPDATE, 12:30 p.m.]: Police spokesperson Sgt. Lorenzo Duarte said the victim is a Hispanic male in his late twenties or early thirties. The death is under preliminary investigation, as detectives work to determine how he ended up on the sidewalk. Duarte said the victim lived in one of the Parker Way Plaza apartments and that his roommates are speaking with police. There is no indication of foul play at this point, he explained.

[UPDATE, 4:45 p.m.]: Sgt. Riley Harwood identified the victim as 27-year-old Ian Sanchez. His death, said Harwood, appears accidental, but investigators continue to look into the incident.

Harwood was unable to give any additional details about Sanchez, citing the open case. He said a passerby saw Sanchez lying on the sidewalk at around 6:40 a.m. and called 9-1-1. Sanchez was transported to Cottage Hospital where medical staff pronounced him dead at 7:13 a.m.

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