Tracking the deaths from California's winter storms

Terry Castleman, Hayley Smith, Grace Toohey
SUMMERLAND, CA - JANUARY 10: Montecito Summerland Fire Protection District responds to a rockslide where two 500-gallon propane tanks were washed up along the 800 block of Toro Canyon Road, Toro Canyon, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 in Summerland, CA. A spokesperson with the fire district said the tanks were found in the early afternoon yesterday. One of the tanks is empty and the other is a one third full and were from a home. They were continuing to monitor the air from a leak coming from one of the tanks. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Fire officials respond to a rockslide where two 500-gallon propane tanks were washed up along the 800 block of Toro Canyon Road in Toro Canyon, Calif., Tuesday. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

As the system of winter storms continues to batter California, officials have reported a death toll of at least 17 people across the state. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the storms have claimed "more lives than wildfires in the past two years combined."

He later added that the number of deaths “tragically is likely to grow.”

The Times is gathering details for those deaths and will continue to update this page as more information becomes available.

Man killed by falling tree at state beach, Santa Cruz County, Dec. 31

Gary Yules, a 72-year-old man from Santa Cruz, was killed by a falling cypress tree at Lighthouse Field State Beach in Santa Cruz on New Year's Eve, according to the Santa Cruz County Coroner's Office.

Three bodies found in floodwaters, Sacramento County, Jan. 1

Three people died in floodwaters near where levees breached along the Cosumnes and Mokelumne rivers. They were pronounced dead New Year's Day, according to the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.

  • Steven Sampson, a 45-year-old man from McAlester, Okla.

  • Katherine Martinez, a 61-year-old woman from Orland

  • Mei Keng Lam, a 57-year-old woman from San Leandro

Woman died after her vehicle flipped into creek, San Bernardino County, Jan. 1

Christine Flores, 65, was found dead in her flipped vehicle after she lost control driving on Arrowbear Drive in San Bernardino County, landing in a creek, according to California Highway Patrol officials and the county coroner’s office. She lived in Big Bear Lake.

Child killed in mobile home by falling tree, Sonoma County, Jan. 4

Aeon Tocchini, a 2-year-old boy from Occidental, was killed when a redwood tree fell on his family's double-wide trailer, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. His father was also in the trailer but survived.

Woman killed in hydroplaning car crash, Solano County, Jan. 4

Marmsha Nash, a 19-year-old woman from Fairfield, was killed when her car hydroplaned and hit a utility pole, according to Solano County officials.

Man found dead in drainage overflow, San Bernardino County, Jan. 6

Rodrigo Lucero Bonola, 41, was found in a drainage overflow area near East Highland Avenue in north San Bernardino, according to the San Bernardino Coroner’s Office. He was likely unhoused, officials said, and living in San Bernardino.

Two people in tents killed by falling trees, Sacramento County, Jan. 7

Two people were found dead in separate areas after tree branches fell onto their tents, according to the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.

  • Rebekah Rohde, a 40-year-old unhoused woman

  • Steven Sorensen, a 61-year-old unhoused man

Man working on storm-related repair efforts killed when truck left roadway, Mendocino County, Jan. 7

Edgar Castillo, a 37-year-old man from Elk Grove, died during a traffic collision in Manchester. Castillo was employed by a company that was assisting the utility company PG&E with storm-related repair efforts in Mendocino County. He was driving a tree service boom truck that rolled over several times after leaving the roadway, county officials said.

Woman killed by tree falling into her home while she slept, Mendocino County, Jan. 9

Susan Stever, a 68-year-old woman from Fort Bragg, was killed by a tree that fell into her home on North Highway 1 while she was asleep, according to county officials.

Unidentified female driver found dead in floodwaters, San Luis Obispo County, Jan. 9

A woman died in a vehicle on a closed road after being overtaken by floodwaters in Avila Beach, according the California Highway Patrol.

Two unidentified people killed in crash, Tulare County, Jan. 10

The crash that killed the victims was reported around 5:55 a.m. on Highway 99 near Goshen. Lightning struck a tree, causing it to fall onto the northbound lanes.

The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services has also reported three other possible storm-related deaths in El Dorado, Mariposa and Santa Clara counties, which The Times is still working to confirm.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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