The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that a missing man who L.A. County deputies were searching for died in the Palisades Fire.
Jeffrey Takeyama, 69, had last been seen on Jan. 7 – the day the Palisades Fire erupted – near the 23000 block of West Paloma Blanca Drive in Malibu, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department missing person bulletin stated.
West Paloma Blanca Drive is located off Las Flores Canyon Road in an area that, as of Wednesday morning, still remained under an evacuation order.
Takeyama was found deceased in his residence, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office, which listed the 69-year-old’s death date as Jan. 12.
His official cause of death was determined to be inhalation of products of combustion and thermal injuries, the Medical Examiner elaborated.
A GoFundMe set up to help the family recover from the fire states that the family lost their home of 41 years and their patriarch on Jan. 8. Takeyama, known to his family as Jeff, was described as “the protector of [the] home and neighborhood” who worked tirelessly to keep his family and others in the area safe from every wildfire that came their way.
“This time, the fire was different, and we are heartbroken beyond words,” the fundraiser, which has raised over $7,000 more than its original goal of $60,000, said. “Along with our grief, we are faced with the overwhelming reality that everything [Jeff’s wife] Jane had – treasured belongings from her travels, family keepsakes and photos and the tight-knit community she called home – was destroyed.”
Jeff leaves behind his wife Jane, three children and a 4-year-old grandson.
Click here to donate to the GoFundMe.
