Officials Doubt Foul Play in Fatal Fall

Sheriff’s deputies investigating the death of a Moorpark mother and son early Wednesday are focusing on the possibility that their plunge from a high freeway bridge was either an accident or suicide, and not the result of foul play.

But with most of the physical evidence examined, and no known witnesses to the fall, Capt. Larry Robertson of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department said Friday that investigators may never determine exactly what sent the two tumbling to their deaths.

“It’s a mystery, and it could remain a mystery,” Robertson said.

Jacqueline Bickmann and her 4-year-old autistic son, Garett, were found lying about 100 feet below the bridge connecting the Ronald Reagan Freeway and California 23 at 3:17 a.m. Wednesday. The two had left their home about an hour earlier on a drive to lull the boy to sleep.

The right front tire of their white GMC Jimmy went flat as they were crossing the bridge, and they pulled over to the road’s right-hand side. Somehow, the two fell over a low concrete wall on the bridge, dropping about 100 feet.

Although investigators have not entirely ruled out homicide, Robertson said it seems unlikely. Bickmann’s purse and car keys were both found inside the Jimmy.

“At this point we have not been able to find any evidence that homicide is a possibility,” he said.

Scrapes on the back of Bickmann’s legs suggest she might have accidentally tumbled backward over the wall and tried to hold on with her legs, Robertson said. However, investigators also consider suicide to be a possibility.

Investigators are still interested in talking to anyone who saw the Jimmy or the Bickmanns on the bridge that night. Anyone with information should call 654-2340 during the day.

Private funeral services for the mother and son are scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday at Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills. Those attending can call (818) 365-7151 for details and directions.