The family of an Isla Vista man who died unexpectedly in February is looking for answers from the community about his death. 

Ryan Quinn, 53, was found deceased on the beach below the Mesa in Santa Barbara on Feb. 24. 

Santa Barbara Police Sgt. Bryan Kerr said this week that the investigation into Quinn’s death is ongoing, and the department could not release any additional information. 

His cause of death was determined to be drowning, according to the Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Bureau.

The investigation could not determine whether his death was an accident or intentional, according to the autopsy report. There were no drugs in Quinn’s system when he died. 

Family members said Quinn had been “dealt a really hard hand.” He had a brain tumor as a child and had undergone several brain surgeries throughout his life that affected his ability to care for himself.

He recently had applied for and was scheduled to receive Social Security disability benefits after his family urged him to do so.

He lived alone on Trigo Road in Isla Vista through Section 8 housing assistance for about a year, family members said. 

Quinn, his half-siblings and stepsiblings — Abraham Phillips, Sam Brown, Autumn Phillips and Erica Phillips — grew up in Santa Barbara.

Abraham and Autumn Phillips and Brown, who spoke to Noozhawk, described Quinn as a sweet and thoughtful person who came to all of their family functions.

“He’s my oldest brother,” Abraham Phillips said. “Just a sweetheart. Not a bad bone in his body. Always super positive.” 

He said Quinn was tough and someone who “never complained about anything and just made the best of what he had.” 

Quinn, a Santa Barbara High School graduate, was passionate about the art of film, family members said. 

He studied visual arts at UC San Diego and San Diego State University, and went on to work or teach in film spaces in San Diego and Santa Barbara, including at Santa Barbara City College.

He was a producer of “Fresh Frames,” an independent television program at City College that focused on film, animation and photography. 

Quinn would regularly visit the library at UC Santa Barbara to use the internet. Family members said he was working on a film with a UCSB student before his death. 

A university spokesperson said Quinn was not an employee. 

Family members are looking for answers in Quinn’s death and hope someone may know something. They said Quinn disliked the beach and would not have gone in the water. 

“My brother didn’t go to the beach,” Abraham Phillips said. “He’s super methodical, almost like ‘Rain Man’-style. If the pathway ended, he didn’t go that way. He would go literal miles around just to stay on a sidewalk or a path.” 

They last spoke to him on Feb. 19 about driving him down to the Social Security Administration office in Santa Barbara. Quinn did not have a car or a cellphone; he relied on the bus or family members’ assistance to get around. 

Family members filed a missing-person report on Feb. 23 after they were unable to contact or find him. 

They said Quinn was not suicidal, and he was optimistic about the future because he was set to receive financial assistance from the government.

Abraham Phillips has a letter from Quinn in which Quinn states “that he was gonna get better and he was looking forward to it.” 

He said what has happened is “so painful.”

“We’re trying to figure out why my brother was in the ocean,” he said.

Brown said he believes something strange happened.

“I just don’t get how he would just disappear…” Brown said. “He was talking positively, and I’ve seen him battle through the worst conditions, and it just doesn’t make (sense) when things are getting better. That’s what makes me think something strange happened.” 

Autumn Phillips said Quinn had a solid routine that he stuck to. She said he was very positive about life and that he was known in the Isla Vista community.

The family found a note on Quinn’s door from a friend they didn’t know who was trying to check in on him.

“He was very sweet,” she said. “He never wanted to offend anyone or be a burden on anyone.”

Abraham Phillips said community members can reach out to him with any information at 805.881.3599.