Anderson man found dead

A 77-year-old Anderson man who was found dead Monday afternoon died of unknown natural causes, according to the Shasta County Coroner's office.

Anderson police had initially treated the death of Richard John Vargo as suspicious, although there were no obvious signs of trauma to his body.

Vargo was found at the bottom of a seven-foot embankment near the North Street Bridge over the Sacramento River just off of Claude Lane, coroner's secretary Mo Hern said.

Vargo apparently rode his scooter in that area every day, Hern said. On Monday, he had ridden his scooter over the embankment and fallen out at the bottom, landing next to the machine.

Anderson police detectives investigating the death found no trauma to Vargo's body or the scooter, Hern said.

Anderson police declined comment, deferring to the coroner.

Hern said no one knows if Vargo suffered a heart attack, stroke or some other malady before falling out of his scooter. Precise cause of death is pending toxicology tests.

Still, Hern said she felt comfortable ascribing the death to some kind of natural cause as opposed to an accident, homicide or something else unusual or suspicious.