Details emerging about those who tragically died in Eaton and Palisades fires

As first responders and investigators with the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner do the grim work of locating and identifying fatalities tied to the Eaton and Palisades fires, the death toll has climbed to 25, officials announced Tuesday.  

The process of locating and identifying the deceased remains slow, with some of the victims still in the location where they died.  

In many cases, this is because investigators are still unable to access certain areas due to the dangers left behind by the wildfire, like gas leaks, smoldering debris and unstable structures.  

Another hurdle for the DME’s office is that normal identification processes, such as visual identification and fingerprinting, may not be available to investigators.  

Of the 25 deceased, 17 died in the Eaton Fire and 8 in the Palisades Fire. While the medical examiner’s office has publicly identified several of the victims, the others have been identified by family members or friends.  

So far, 14 of the people who tragically died amid the worst natural disasters in the history of L.A. County have been identified. Here is what we know about their lives: 

VICTOR SHAW, 66, a resident of Altadena 

One of the first victims identified on Jan. 8, a day after the deadly Eaton Fire swept through 3000 block of Monterosa Drive where Shaw lived with his sister in home belonging to the family for nearly 55 years, he was found in the road near their home, a garden hose still in his hand.  

Shaw’s sister, Shari, told KTLA, that when she was evacuating and called out for him, he didn’t reply, and that as the house went up in flames, she had to leave.  

RODNEY NICKERSON, 83, a resident of Altadena 

Identified by his daughter, Kimiko, on Jan. 9, she told KTLA that her father bought the home on Alta Pine Drive where she grew up in 1968. The 83-year-old retired from Lockheed Martin in Pasadena where he worked for more than 45 years. 

Kimiko told KTLA that her father was gathering up his stuff, packing things as the fire neared before he decided to stay, his daughter saying, “he felt like this was going to pass over and that he would be here.”  

ANTHONY MITCHELL, 68, AND JUSTIN MITCHELL, 35, residents of Altadena 

Both disabled, Anthony had lost a leg to diabetes while his son Justin was a paraplegic who lived with cerebral palsy. According to the 68-year-old's surviving son, Jordan who was in the hospital recovering from a concussion when fire broke out Jan. 7, first responders had been notified that the two men needed evacuation.  

“When told me [over the phone] that he called for evacuation, I assumed they would be taken care of,” Jordan told KTLA.  

Unfortunately, first responders didn’t arrive until 6:30 a.m. the next morning, just as embers flooded the neighborhood, igniting flames that consumed the Mitchell’s family home with Anthony and Justin inside.  

ERLIENE KELLEY, a resident of Altadena 

Kelley had lived in her Altadena home for 40 years and as flames approached told evacuating family members “It’s in God’s hands,” her granddaughter, Briana Navarro told CNN.  

DALYCE CURRY, 95, a resident of Altadena 

The 95-year-old, known as Momma D, had lived in Altadena for 20 years, her granddaughter, part-time caregiver and namesake, Dalcye Kelley, told CNN. She was an actress in the 1950’s who later became a nurse.  

Her granddaughter, unaware of the potential fire danger, had dropped her off after a visit to the hospital, but returned after learning that the power had gone out. At the scene, police told Kelley her mother’s home was destroyed, and she was forced to leave “knowing in my heart she was there, and she perished in that fire,” the outlet reported.  

EVELYN McCLENDON, 59, a resident of Altadena 

A third-generation resident of Altadena, the 59-year-old's brother, Zaire Calvin, was one of her neighbors. He said he’d last seen his sister collecting her belongings to evacuate the home, but as he rushed to his vehicle with his 1-year-old daughter in his arms, her car was still in front of her house. He yelled repeatedly for her, telling her to get out.  

“I don’t even know how to talk about it,” Calvin, who escaped the fire with his wife, daughter and mother, told KTLA. “She couldn’t get out.”  

McClendon’s cousin reportedly found her remains while shoveling through debris of what used to be her bedroom.  

KIMBERLY WINIECKI, 77, a resident of Altadena 

A longtime Altadena resident, Winiecki was last seen on Jan. 6, a day before the fires erupted, her friend Jeannette McMahon told CNN. A day later, McMahon said the 77-year-old could see the fire from her home, though over text said, “I’m fine. I’m calm.”  

McMahon told the outlet that Winiecki’s brother was notified by officials of his sister’s death and described her friend, a writer, as intelligent, expressive and a joy.  

ZHI FENG ZHAO, 84, a resident of Altadena 

A resident of a home in the 3200 block of Tonia Avenue, the L.A. County Medical Examiner’s said the 84-year-old died in his residence on Jan. 9.  

RORY SYKES, 32, a resident of Malibu 

A former child star turned philanthropist and professional speaker, Sykes was born blind and lived with cerebral palsy, his mother, Shelley Sykes, told KTLA.  

On Jan. 7, when the Palisades Fire broke out, the mother and son stayed behind at their Malibu home believing they were safe. Overnight, though, as the wind-driven fire escalated and sent embers flying onto their property, a massive flare up trapped Rory, who had difficulty walking, inside his cottage.   

Despite her best efforts, she says Rory locked himself in his cottage and told his mother to save herself instead.   

“He was always worried about me, I think he felt guilty I did so much for him,” she said. “He was my baby.”   

ARTHUR SIMONEAU, 69, a resident of Topanga 

The 69-year-old was reportedly returning from a ski trip when he learned his Topanga home was under evacuation orders, his friend Steve Murrillo told the Los Angeles Times.  

A hang-gliding pilot for 40 years, Murrillo said Simoneau headed back to his house to see if he could save it.  

His body was discovered by the doorway of his house on Jan. 9. Murrillo told The Times that that the 69-year-old died trying to defend his home.  

RANDY MIOD, 55, a resident of Malibu 

A beloved and well-known surfer, Miod lived in his Malibu home off Pacific Coast Highway, referred to as the “Crab Shack,” for decades his mother, Carol Smith, told CNN.  

“He was just kind of a magnet for people,” she told the outlet. “People just loved him, and he loved people.”  

Investigators located his remains in the charred rubble of his home near Duke’s restaurant and Las Flores Canyon Road in the 21100 block of PCH on Jan. 8.  

ANNETTE ROSSILLI, 85, a resident of the Palisades 

According to a company that provided her with in-home care three days a week, the 85-year-old said she preferred to stay in her Palisades home with her dog, three birds and a pet turtle when flames erupted on Jan. 7, CNN reported. 

A caregiver described her to the outlet as friendly, kind and grateful, a woman with many friends in the community.   

Rossilli, who for years ran a plumbing business with her late husband, is survived by a daughter and a son. Her body was discovered on Jan. 8.  

CHARLES MORTIMER, 84 

The medical examiner’s office said the 84-year-old, a victim of the Palisades Fire, died in the hospital and said the cause of his death was a heart attack along with the effects of smoke inhalation and “thermal injuries.”