WATSONVILLE—The man and woman who were found dead inside a van parked in the parking lot of the Rodeway Inn in Watsonville on March 8 have been identified as Nicholas Reagan, 29, and Barbara Reid, 64.
According to Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Ashley Keehn, they were both from Watsonville.
Watsonville Police Department Sgt. Juan Trujillo said police were dispatched to the Rodeway Inn on West Beach Street near Highway 1 just past noon to a report of a man and a woman down.
Reagan and Reid, who were found inside an older model blue and white Chevrolet van, were pronounced dead at the scene.
WPD spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said last week that though the case was still under investigation, initial indications point to a drug overdose.
The motel is being used as a site for Project Roomkey, a state program that aimed to keep people experiencing homelessness safe during the Covid-19 pandemic by giving them places to stay.
It is not clear if Reagan and Reid were staying there.
Santa Cruz County spokesman Jason Hoppin said there was apparently an “involvement” between them and some hotel guests.
“We’re looking into whether the rules were being followed, and will take any corrective actions,” he said.
