The death of a 55-year-old man found in downtown Guadalupe on Monday has been ruled a homicide, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.
Authorities identified the man as Paul Anthony Delgadillo, an unhoused resident of Guadalupe.
Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office began investigating the incident as a suspicious death Monday afternoon when Delgadillo was found dead in the 800 block of Guadalupe Street.
“Detectives are now investigating his death as a homicide involving a firearm,” Raquel Zick, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office, said Thursday.
Guadalupe Police Chief Michael Cash was the first person to arrive at the scene of the incident about 2 p.m. Monday at the Veterans Memorial Plaza parking lot, he said Tuesday night before resigning from the city as public safety director.
“We had a person who was obviously deceased,” Cash said. “We had issues with the way that the scene looked so we contacted the sheriff’s department.”
Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office assumed responsibility for the investigation and are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding Delgadillo’s death.
“A suspect remains outstanding, and no arrests have been made at this time,” Zick said.
Authorities released Delgadillo’s name Thursday, but earlier social media posts in the hours following the discovery had mentioned his identity.
“It is tragic because this is a long-time resident,” Cash said, offering prayers for the victim’s family. “He had just gotten back from being away for a while.”
During Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Ariston Julian offered condolences to the victim’s family.
“He was a nice guy,” Julian said, avoiding using the man’s name.
Detectives are asking anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity in the area or who has information related to this homicide to contact the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division at 805.681.4150.
Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call the sheriff’s anonymous tip line at 805.681.4171 or submit information through the anonymous tip form available at https://www.sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip/ .
