The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office has identified an 18-year-old man who died in a fall at Pirates Cove on Friday as Santa Maria resident Jose Rodriguez Gallardo.
Gallardo fell off a cliff and into the water around 2:10 p.m. A person then swam out and pulled Gallardo to the water’s edge.
Emergency personnel transported him by boat to the Port San Luis Pier. But, medics who were waiting at the pier scene confirmed that Gallardo was dead when his body arrived.
Investigators say the initial indication is that Gallardo’s death occurred by accident. Witnesses reported seeing Gallardo walking along the cliff moments before he fell.
The county coroner’s unit is scheduled to perform an autopsy on Wednesday. The results of the autopsy, as well as a toxicology report, will likely take six to eight weeks to arrive.
