The daughter of a 39-year-old man who was found deceased by police in a Santa Barbara apartment in late October said her father was a “free spirit” and a “great dad and brother.”

The children of Lawrence “Shorty” Matthew Brennen Jr. have launched a fundraiser to cover funeral costs and scheduled a candlelight vigil for 7 p.m. Friday at Carpinteria’s Fourth Beach.

Santa Barbara Police Department officers found Brennen deceased in an apartment on the 100 block of Los Aguajes Avenue in the West Beach neighborhood on Oct. 28.

On a fundraising site, Brennen’s daughter, Mia, said she and her siblings are “still awaiting answers” about his death.

She described her father as “one with the oceans” and “always with a fishing pole in his truck and his kids in his heart.”

“My dad was always a free spirit and forever there when it mattered,” she said. “Now it’s our turn to be there for him.”

She added: “His laughter would fill the room with a smile that would wipe away any tear. We will forever remember his terrible dad jokes and even worse food smoothies. But most of all, we will remember the pride that he held over his kids and siblings.

“He was not only a great dad and brother but also an amazing friend. Telling never ending stories of their adventures. He loved everybody that he met. Since the first conversation he treated them as family. We will keep you in our hearts forever dad.”

The fundraiser had brought in over $1,200 of its $10,000 goal as of Friday morning.

Officers responded to the Los Aguajes Avenue apartment the night of Oct. 27 for a welfare check. After identifying “suspicious circumstances,” they returned the next morning with a search warrant, police said.

There, officers found a body that had been wrapped in a bedroll and placed in a metal container, according to Superior Court records of criminal charges filed in the case. That metal container was also wrapped in plastic wrap.

Prosecutors have alleged that Jenica Ochoa, 45, and Kenneth Tompkins, 43 concealed Brennen’s accidental death.

Both have been criminally charged with felony conspiracy, concealing a death — a misdemeanor — and second strike enhancements.

They have pleaded not guilty and are set to return to court on Nov. 30.

They were no longer in police custody as of Tuesday afternoon.

Santa Barbara Commander Ben Ahrens told Noozhawk on Monday that Ochoa and Tompkins were the only two people who had been arrested in connection with this incident at that time.

Both have previous felony convictions.

Additional details about the cause and circumstances surrounding Brennen’s death have not been publicly released.

Arrest records indicated that the Ochoa and Tompkins lived in the same apartment building as the building where the body was found.

Police have not publicly released information about how the three may have known each other.