Moorpark businessman found dead in Simi hotel

David Bagwell KIM RAMSEYER/Special to the Acorn A well-known local businessman and philanthropist who ran for a seat on the City Council earlier this year was found dead inside a Simi Valley hotel room last Saturday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Simi Valley Police officers discovered the body of David Bagwell, 44, at 12:45 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Grand Vista Hotel. His wife, Jodi Bagwell, had reported him missing on Thursday.

Deputy Medical Examiner Shasta Gainer of the Ventura County Coroner Office’s said evidence at the scene led them to conclude that Bagwell took his own life.

“The medical examiner determined that the cause of death is suicide,” Gainer said.

The news of Bagwell’s death stunned the tight-knit Moorpark community. Friends remembered him as an energetic volunteer, committed business leader and dedicated father of two young girls.

“I’m deeply saddened. What a tremendous loss to so many people,” said Cliff Williams, captain of the Moorpark CHP and a friend of Bagwell’s since 2005. “David was the kind of guy you could always count on. He was warm and he had a great sense of humor. He was truly the essence of success and the kind of quality person that gives Moorpark such a great reputation in our county.”

Bagwell, who moved to Moorpark 15 years ago from Manhattan Beach, started his own company, Bagwell Construction, in 2002. He was a Rotary Club member, involved in the local Chamber of Commerce and a supporter of the Boys & Girls Club of Moorpark. He also was a decorated infantryman who served eight years in the U.S. Army.

Bagwell was a long-range reconnaissance squad leader and also served in the White House Army Honor Guard under President Ronald Reagan from 1982 to 1986.

“David was a devoted father and a man who was dedicated to his community,” said Doug Ridley, a Rotarian and friend of the Bagwell family. “He really was an example to me in how you do community service.”

Mayor Janice Parvin said Bagwell had a large network of acquaintances in Moorpark.

“Everyone is just shaken by the whole experience,” said Parvin, who last saw Bagwell at Moorpark’s Veterans Day observance Nov. 11.

“So many people cared about him, it’s hard to understand why he didn’t reach out for help,” she said.

“The hardest part of all this is that David is leaving two girls that he loves and adores behind,” Parvin added.

In the spring, Bagwell ran for a seat on the City Council. It was his first foray into politics, and he finished third out of seven candidates, garnering 21 percent of the vote.

Bagwell started the Rotary Club’s Dictionary Project to provide all third-graders in the city with dictionaries, and he led a yearly effort to clean up the Arroyo Simi.

Bagwell was originally from North Carolina. In addition to his wife, Jodi, and his two young daughters, he leaves behind his parents, Will and Nancy; brothers, Ray and Rob; and sister, Perri.

“Everybody knew he was going through some challenges, but I don’t think anybody really knew the depth of his despair,” said Capt. Ron Nelson of the Moorpark Police.

“Whenever I saw (the Bagwells) together at Rotary and Chamber of Commerce functions, it always struck me what a beautiful and loving family they were,” Nelson said.

On Thurs., Nov. 19, Jodi Bagwell filed a missing-person’s report with police because she was worried about her husband, from whom she’d recently separated, and felt he needed help. To locate Bagwell, police began to track his cellphone and banking activities.

The last phone transmission occurred within about a halfmile of the Grand Vista Hotel in west Simi Valley. A police helicopter spotted Bagwell’s truck parked in an industrial complex about that same distance from the hotel.

According to Nelson, Bagwell left several notes at the scene. No one heard the gunshot because the hotel was mostly vacant and he used a pillow to muffle the sound, police said.

Members of the Rotary Club plan to organize a memorial to honor Bagwell’s life. They will also create a scholarship fund for his daughters.

A date for the memorial event has not yet been set.