FRAZIER PARK, CA (Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010, 11:30 p.m.)—A memorial service for friends and family has been announced to honor the memory of Danial Joab Wilson, known to friends as "Moondog." Here is the announcement, submitted to The Mountain Enterprise by Marisa Sodaro today:

Daniel Joab Wilson
"Moondog"

On Sunday, December 12, 1 p.m., at 1745 White Rock Road
family and friends of Dan will be gathering to celebrate his life.

Dan graduated Frazier Mountain High School in 200l and continued
his education at Bakersfield College receiving his AA.
He was a mountain resident until four months ago when he moved to Valencia
to be closer to his work.

He is loved and will be missed by many.

Call 245-2903 for Marisa Sodaro for information, directions, questions.

An account has been set up at California Bank and Trust
in Frazier Park in Dan’s name for the family.
 

FRAZIER PARK, CA (Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010, 6:30 a.m.)—Lieutenant Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office said Monday that a "backlog" had prevented the coroner’s office from making an official identification of the man from the Mountain Communities who died Saturday at the Sienna Villa condos. "We haven’t even assigned a field investigator to the case yet," Corral said. Without the official identification, he continued, they are unable to make the official notification to the next of kin. In respect for the local families involved, The Mountain Enterprise is not yet releasing the name of the deceased this morning. [Note: On Wednesday, Dec. 8, The Mountain Enterprise released the name as Daniel Joab Wilson, often called "Moondog." ]

Houston Foster, who was also taken to the Henry Mayo Memorial Newhall Hospital emergency room on Saturday in the same event, was reported to no longer be in the intensive care unit last night.

The Mountain Enterprise is seeking confirmation that the men’s families have been notified [661-245-3794].

VALENCIA, CA (Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010, 6:30 p.m.)— A longtime resident of the Mountain Communities is said to have died yesterday from a drug overdose. Official sources in Los Angeles County have confirmed that a man, about 27 years old with the name of a resident of Lebec, was found unresponsive at about 2:11  p.m. yesterday in the Sienna Villa condos in Valencia. He and a second man were found by friends. They said the group had taken another individual’s prescription methadone.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s watch commander for the Valencia area this evening, emergency personnel tried to resuscitate both men and they were transported to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital.

The Mountain Enterprise has confirmed with hospital personnel that a man with the name of the Lebec/Frazier Park man was brought to the emergency room yesterday. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office confirms that it has custody of the body of a man with the same name. The next of kin have not yet been notified, the coroner said. For that reason, The Mountain Enterprise will not release the name this evening.

According to L. A. County Sheriff’s Sgt. Allen, the second man, Houston Foster of Valencia, was found in a coma, and it is believed he has not yet regained consciousness. He is still being cared for at Henry Mayo, Allen said.

"Methadone is what recovering heroin addicts take," Allen said. "It was too late for the one, he was probably dead for awhile when they found him."

Brain damage and respiratory failure may result from a methadone overdose. Combining methadone with drugs such as oxycontin or vicodin may also lead to a fatal overdose.

Allen said homicide detectives will investigate the death after a coroner’s examination tomorrow. "I can only speculate they will be looking for where the methadone came from, how much they ingested and the circumstances under which they ingested it."

"If you have methadone in your purse and you go to bed, then people get into [your medicine], they bear some of the responsiblity," Allen said.
 

This is part of the December 03, 2010 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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