‘There was a lot of blood.’ Man found dead at Oceano home in apparent homicide

This report will be updated as more information becomes available.

A quiet beachside neighborhood in Oceano was struck by tragedy on Thursday when the neighbor of a 90-year-old resident found the man apparently beaten and stabbed to death inside his home.

The man was discovered Thursday morning at a home in the 1400 block of Strand Way, south of the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreational Area, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Cipolla said, who confirmed late in the day that the death appears to be a homicide.

Cipolla said that an autopsy is scheduled for Friday morning.

It wasn’t clear whether the man owned the home or was renting it, he said.

Cipolla said the stretch of Strand Way between Juanita Avenue and Sandpiper Lane won’t reopen until the investigation is complete — and there is no time frame for that, though neighbors are being allowed into their homes.

“Detectives have begun a full-scale investigation and are in the process of collecting evidence and interviewing neighbors,” a Sheriff’s Office news release said. “Investigators believe this is an isolated incident and there is no risk to the public at this time.”

According to Cipolla, sheriff’s deputies were called to check on the welfare of a man at about 9:45 a.m. Thursday. When they arrived, they found the man dead, he said.

‘Definitely beaten and stabbed’

Greg Mills, a neighbor, said he and the nephew of another neighbor went to check on the man and found his body after growing concerned when they hadn’t heard from him in a few days.

“He was definitely beaten and stabbed. There was a lot of blood,” Mills said. “No one should go that way.”

Cipolla said he could not comment on the details of an open investigation.

Mills added that his neighbor “had his routines,” but hadn’t been following them for a few days. Mills said he also hadn’t seen him recently, even though they spoke frequently.

“It wasn’t normal,” the neighbor said.

Mills said the man was “a tough old guy” who was well-liked.

“He was the strongest man I ever met,” Mills said.

Mills recalled that the man once saw someone breaking into a home and taking a television, and he stopped the crime and made the person put the TV back.

“I would’ve thought he’d be the one to beat someone up,” Mills said. “He was a good guy. You just don’t expect something like this, ever. “

Quiet neighborhood near the beach

The neighborhood, which backs up to the beach, is tight-knit and neighbors look out for each other, Mills said. Other neighbors said the same thing.

But on Thursday afternoon, it was a crime scene, with tape circling three homes and investigators in blue body suits coming and going as they gathered evidence.

Jim, who lives a few blocks away and declined to give his last name, said some people in the area call him the “neighborhood watch” because he likes to sit out on his porch frequently, smoke and watch the street.

“I don’t like to see this happen, but it doesn’t surprise me that this happened,” said Jim, who’s lived in the neighborhood for about 6 years. “I think it’s a great neighborhood, but this can happen in any place.”

Jim added that a lot of people come in and out of the neighborhood, which is dotted with vacation rentals, and people headed down to the beach for the day often park there. He added that he didn’t personally know the man who died but had probably seen him around the neighborhood.

“It’s a shock,” Jim said. “I’m saddened for him and his family.”

Greg Pendley, another neighbor, said he’s lived in the area for about a decade but didn’t know the man personally.

“This is a quiet area, and you don’t really hear about that type of stuff happening here,” Pendley said. “It’s sad someone lost their life. We all take care of each other.”

Sheriff’s officials were in the process Thursday of notifying the man’s next of kin, Cipolla said.

This is the second time in recent months that a South County resident has been found dead at home under suspicious circumstances.

In October, Athena Valentiny, a licensed vocational nurse at the California Men’s Colony, was found stabbed to death at her Grover Beach home after police arrived to conduct a welfare check.

In December, Valentiny’s son was extradited from Indiana to San Luis Obispo County to face murder charges for his mother’s death.

This story was originally published January 24, 2019 at 1:52 PM.