Lexington Suicide Victim Identified

The apparent suicide victim found the afternoon of Jan. 2 at Lexington Reservoir has been identified as a 51-year-old Los Gatos man.

Los Gatos Patch is choosing not to publish his name out of respect for the requests made by his family and friends.  

Los Gatos Patch reported the death last week after a reader contacted this publication saying her husband and son had seen the body and she was worried about the overall safety of the area and did not know why there weren't any press reports about it.

Los Gatos resident Rod Fagan and his 12-year-old son saw the body during a fishing trip near Douglas B. Miller Memorial Point Park. The body was found by a Lexington Reservoir park ranger, according to Santa Clara County Sheriff's spokesman Jose Cardoza.

The exact cause of death, however, will not be released for several weeks, according to the Santa Clara County Coroner's Office.

"We can't confirm cause of death," said a coroner who identified herself by the name Cindy. "That's all [his identity, age and place of origin] we can release at this point." 

"We can't release cause of death until the case is closed," the coroner added.

Cardoza, however, said "sheriff's investigators are looking at this case as a suicide."

The man apparently left a suicide note in a car found nearby, said Cardoza, declining to divulge its content.

"One of the park rangers was doing his regular patrols and saw the victim on the park bench," Cardoza said. "He was hunched over on the table with a [single] gunshot wound to his head. The victim was found lying face down on a cement picnic bench.

"There was no foul play about it and there wasn't anything out of the ordinary," Cardoza added.

A firearm, whose make and model is not being released, was found near the victim, Cardoza said.

Linda Fagan, wife of Rod Fagan, said her husband and son spotted the body as they were leaving the park. She said she received a message from her husband at around 4:40 p.m. Jan. 2 saying they were going fishing.

Linda Fagan said her husband and son came upon the park ranger who was taking the man's pulse, who was hunched over, face down on a park bench.

According to Linda Fagan, four county sheriff's deputies, a Santa Clara County Fire truck and an ambulance, which later turned back, and additional rangers  responded to the scene.

Fagan's family was questioned by sheriff's deputies to help gauge the timing of the death.

"There was a red Subaru and they weren't sure who it belonged to. My husband saw it as they were driving out. They went back and told the sheriff there was this car parked just outside the parking lot and there was beer underneath," Linda Fagan said.

The Suicide and Crisis Services of Santa Clara County provides a free 24-hour hotline number, 1-855-278-4204, where highly trained volunteers are available to talk with individuals in crisis.