Ryan ChartrandHistory and political science major Richard Spencer Wood, 22, was found dead July 22 in Avila Beach after attending a nearby concert. The Newport Beach native was also vice president of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity at Cal Poly.
A passer-by discovered Wood’s body at approximately 2:13 p.m. on Saturday in a shallow drainage wash off of Avila Beach Road, according to a police press release.
Wood attended the 311 concert the night before with friends and went to a bar after the show was over. He stepped outside to make a phone call and never came back in, journalism senior Justin Fivella said.
An investigation by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff-Coroner Services Unit is underway to determine the circumstances of Wood’s death.
“(Spencer) would always lighten the feel for everybody,” said Wood’s friend Mike Mathias, a business administration junior and Lambda Chi Alpha member. “I’ve never seen him angry. He just had a very peaceful mentality, trying to make everyone happy.”
An autopsy is scheduled this week to determine the cause of death, and toxicology test results will follow in two to four weeks.
Funeral services and a reception will take place today at Our Lady Mount Carmel Church in Newport Beach at 11 a.m. There was a memorial service July 25 in Shell Beach and a remembrance vigil last night in Newport Beach. Additional memorial services will take place in San Luis Obispo in September.