Dunes death attributed to sand suffocation

A 53-year-old woman who was found unconscious and not breathing in the Oceano Dunes camping area suffocated in the sand as part of what may have been a prank gone awry, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department said Friday.

Patricia Ann Kalbskopf, who was described as a transient, was rushed Wednesday night to Arroyo Grande Community Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

An autopsy performed Thursday revealed she succumbed to asphyxiation caused by inhaling sand.

Three men with whom Kalbskopf was camping at the dunes were charged Friday with involuntary manslaughter in connection with her death, and were being held at County Jail.

Detectives said they believe James Lee Proffer, 52, David Wesley Cartwright, 60, and Kelly Marvin Johnson, 42, piled sand onto the victim after she passed out.

“(It's my understanding) that she just passed out on the sand, and they were throwing sand on her like kids,” said Rob Bryn, Sheriff's Department public information officer, adding that the men had not dug a hole in the sand and buried Kalbskopf.

Neighboring campers were administering CPR to the unresponsive woman when rangers arrived at the scene shortly before 7:20 p.m. Wednesday and took over resuscitation efforts.

The three were arrested at the campsite on suspicion of being drunk in public and outstanding warrants. A subsequent investigation by sheriff's detectives led to the manslaughter charges, Bryn said.

He noted that the victim and the men were legally camping at the Oceano Dunes SVRA, and had paid for their campsite.

Johnson is a retired carpenter who lives in San Luis Obispo; Proffer and Cartwright are both transients. Cartwright is also a parolee at large from Southern California.

It's not known how long Kalbskopf, who was originally from Maryland, had lived in San Luis Obispo County, but she had previous contact with local law enforcement, Bryn said.

Kalbskopf's death marks the first non-vehicle-related fatality in the Oceano Dunes SVRA this year.

April Charlton can be reached at 489-4206, Ext. 5016, or acharlton@santamariatimes.com.

May 17, 2008