The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office released the name of the woman who was struck and killed by a train near Santa Barbara last Friday.
Lee Ann MacMillan, 28, of Santa Barbara, was hit by a northbound Amtrak Coast Starlight train around 1:15 p.m., according to Raquel Zick, sheriff’s public information officer.
MacMillan was declared dead at the scene, which was on Hollister Avenue near Modoc Road, according to Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Daniel Bertucelli.
On Saturday night, the day after the collision, Santa Barbara Police Department released a missing at-risk adult alert for MacMillan.
The alert, which was posted on social media and sent to news media, said MacMillan is a Canadian citizen who had been in the Santa Barbara area for about six months.
In the message, police Lt. Joshua Morton wrote, “MacMillan suffers from depression and has been expressing suicidal ideation for the last month. MacMillan made specific statements recently which indicate she may be intending to harm herself.”
On Monday afternoon, Morton sent a follow-up message saying MacMillan was no longer missing.
“Sadly, it was confirmed by the Santa Barbara Sheriffs-Coroner today that the decedent was the previously unidentified woman in the train fatality which occurred on March 26 near Hollister and State (streets),” he wrote. “We would like to offer our condolences to her family and anyone who knew her or is affected by this tragedy.”
The Sheriff’s-Coroner’s Bureau is investigating the cause and manner of death.
No further details were available.
Click here for suicide prevention information and resources that are available 24/7.
The National Suicide Prevention Line is available 24/7 at 800.273.8255, and the county’s 24/7 Behavioral Wellness Access Line can be reached by calling 888.868.1649 to access a counselor or mobile crisis resources anytime.
— Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue can be reached at jmartinez-pogue@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.