Man Who Died in Hot Tub Was "Good Kid"
By MICHELLE WAYLAND
Updated 11:27 AM PST, Wed, Apr 1, 2009
A night of celebration turned to tragedy after an Ocean Beach man drowned while celebrating his 21st birthday -- his friends found his body in a hotel hot tub.
Michael Mayfield's family says he loved helping others and didn't deserve to die at such a young age.
“He was always calm and pleasant to have around,” the victims aunt Kim Laselle said. “He got along with everyone. Ask anyone in the neighborhood, everybody liked Mikey.”
Mayfield spent his 21st birthday Monday having sushi with his family. Afterwards, he went to Paradise Point resort to celebrate with friends. Police say it appears the group was drinking alcohol in their room and then headed to the pool when it opened at 5 a.m.
Friends told police they went back to the room for about 15 minutes and when they returned, Mikey was floating face down in the Jacuzzi.
There were scrapes on Mayfield’s face, investigators said. Family members believe he fell.
“He hit his head. He slipped and hit his head,” Laselle said.
Investigators say alcohol was a factor, but the official cause of death has not been determined.
Mayfield was an only child, who lived with his mother in Ocean Beach. He loved snowboarding, working on old cars, and spending times with family and friends.
“It's going to be hard. There’s nowhere you can go or be without being reminded,” Laselle said crying. “He was a good kid.”
First Published: Apr 1, 2009 8:12 AM PST
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