Staff reports
SONOMA COUNTY ? A Calpine employee died sometime before Friday morning after his work truck reportedly went down a ravine on company property in Sonoma County.
The Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) was dispatched to the Calpine Corporation on Socrates Mine Road in Middletown Friday at 1:45 a.m.
Eugene “Corky” Bracisco was reported missing by his wife, who said her husband had left for work at 5:30 a.m. Thursday. When he hadn”t returned home by 11 p.m., she called Calpine and was told that he had missed a 3 p.m. meeting.
An LCSO deputy arrived at Calpine and met with the lead operator, who confirmed that Bracisco”s personal vehicle was still at the site, but his work truck was missing. The lead operator said that Calpine had notified the Sonoma County Sheriff”s Office (SCSO), as the Calpine property straddled the county lines, and that 10 Calpine employees were already out searching.
SCSO representatives informed the LCSO deputy that they believed Bracisco was somewhere in Lake County. Another LCSO deputy was immediately dispatched to the area to assist in the search while the SCSO waited for the fog to lift to allow a helicopter flyover to aid in the search.
Bracisco was found dead Friday morning inside his vehicle, which had slipped down into a ravine on Calpine property just over the Sonoma County line. The SCSO will be handling the coroner”s investigation.
