The missing Los Angeles County fire captain found Saturday night on a Montecito trail died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Bureau said Monday.
Wayne Stuart Habell, a 43-year-old resident of Newhall, was reported missing by Los Angeles County authorities on Aug. 16 when he left his home headed for a gym in Stevenson Ranch.
Authorities put out an alert for an at-risk missing person as family members said Habell suffered from depression.
His black SUV was found Friday afternoon parked at the Hot Springs Trailhead, on East Mountain Drive, leading to ground and aerial searches Friday and Saturday.
Search crews found a body in the area at 6 p.m. Saturday, later confirmed to be Habell’s, and a procession of emergency vehicles accompanied a county coroner’s vehicle to the Coroner’s Bureau in Goleta.
On Monday, Lt. Kevin Huddle said Coroner’s Bureau staff determined the cause and manner of death was suicide involving a self-inflected gunshot wound.
Habell is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and three children.
In online posts, a Los Angeles County firefighters union noted the loss and encouraged its members to seek out help.
“It is with great sorrow and a heavy heart that we come together again to stand with a brother’s family and mourn the loss of one of our own,” President Dave Gillotte and the executive board of the Los Angeles County Firefighters Local IAFF 1014 told members.
Local 1014 reminded firefighters and their families that resources for those in need can be found at Healingourown.org and Firestrong.org.
“We cannot afford to remain silent any longer — don’t let depression live in the shadows,” Local 1014 said in the message. “Each day our members battle Post Traumatic Stress Injuries and Cumulative Stress Injuries. We need to bring these issues into the light to ensure people get the help they need.
“Our members are facing unprecedented challenges today from massive wildfires to ever increasing call loads in our stations,” union leaders said. “We are at a critical moment in the fire service.Our members are facing unprecedented challenges today from massive wildfires to ever increasing call loads in our stations. We are at a critical moment in the fire service.”
The union representatives cited a study by the Ruderman Family Foundation saying, “fire responders (police officers and firefighters) are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty.”
It was not immediately known whether Habell had any previous connection to Montecito, or whether he responded to the Thomas Fire that exploded through Hot Springs Canyon on Dec. 16.
Several thousand firefighters were deployed in Montecito that morning, including units from Los Angeles County.
Click here for suicide prevention information and resources that are available 24/7.
The National Suicide Prevention Line is available 24/7 at 1.800.273.8255, and the Santa Barbara County 24-hour, toll-free hotline is 1.800.400.1572.
— 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.
