The death of a man found inside a Santa Maria home Tuesday night has been deemed suspicious, according to the Santa Maria Police Department.
At approximately 8:20 p.m. Tuesday, members of the Police Department and Santa Maria Fire Department were dispatched to a home in the 400 block of West Street for a report of man suffering from an unknown type of injury, Lt. Terry Flaa said early Wednesday.
Firefighters arrived first and located an adult male suffering from “visible trauma,” Flaa said.
Responders attempted life-saving efforts but the man died of his injuries, Flaa said.
“Santa Maria police detectives have ruled the subject’s death as suspicious,” Flaa said, adding that the investigation was continuing.
The man’s name was withheld pending notification of family members.
Detectives have asked residents in the surrounding area to check surveillance cameras for footage of any suspicious activity.
Anyone with information related to the investigation can contact the department’s Detective Bureau at 805.928.3781, ext. 2277, or the SMPD Tip Line at 805.928.3781, ext. 2677 (COPS).
This is the second suspicious death of the week under investigation in the North County.
On Sunday night, personnel from the Santa Barbara County fire and sheriff’s departments and the California Highway Patrol were dispatched to an incident in the 6200 block of Foxen Canyon Road near Los Olivos, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick.
Emergency crews determined the incident involved a suspicious death, leading sheriff’s detectives to launch an investigation.
As of Wednesday morning, the Sheriff’s Office had not released any additional information about the incident.
Foxen Canyon Road at Zaca Station Road, about 3 miles north of Highway 101, was closed for a time Sunday night while investigators remained at the scene.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.