Tragedy and loss swept the San Geronimo Valley after the unrelated deaths of two Lagunitas School alumni within the span of a week.
Sixteen-year-old Daniel Goodrich died suddenly on Sept. 26. On Oct. 1, Dylan Baylacq, 21, was found dead in his cell at the Marin County Jail. The families are friends, and the valley community gathered by the hundreds for a candlelight vigil for Mr. Goodrich earlier this month.
“Our valley is feeling a lot of sadness right now. These kids are dealing with some really heavy stuff,” said Dave Cort, the former director of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center. “It’s just been overwhelming for all of these kids, and it’s beautiful to see them come together and support each other.”
The death of Mr. Goodrich, who was found drowned, comes less than two years after the death of his older brother Nathan. Mr. Goodrich and his mother, Gina, had been living in Fairfax for the last few years but planned to move back to their hometown of Woodacre this week.
“Daniel was very excited about the move back to the valley,” said San Geronimo resident Jodie Newdelman, whose son Jasper had been friends with Mr. Goodrich since first grade. She has been working to organize therapy services for students at Lagunitas Community School and Archie Williams High School, which Mr. Goodrich attended.
Katherine Sanford, a teacher at Lagunitas Middle School who taught Mr. Goodrich for three and a half years, said he was a kind and self-possessed boy.
“He cared about fairness,” she said. “He had an incredibly sweet smile that often came with a kind of mischievous twinkle, and that stayed true through middle school.”
When he was in fourth grade, Ms. Sanford gave out weekly practice vocabulary lists while reading “The Phantom Tollbooth.” If Mr. Goodrich showed up with an unfinished assignment, he would tell Ms. Sanford that hadn’t done his work, all while using every word on the list.
Mr. Baylacq’s death by hanging is being investigated by Sonoma coroners and is the fourth death at Marin County Jail in two years.
A fourth-generation valley resident, Mr. Baylacq was West Marin through and through, said his mother, Angelina Papia. A curious and outdoorsy type, he felt most at home on the beaches of Bolinas, across the Point Reyes National Seashore and on the creeks and trails of the San Geronimo Valley. As a boy, he spent time jumping off big rocks, digging giant holes at the beach and playing with wooden trains. Whenever he saw a life-sized locomotive, he would peek underneath to try to understand how it worked. When he wasn’t mountain biking or swimming in the ocean, he was playing on one of many local sports teams, from soccer to basketball and baseball.
Mr. Baylacq attended the Open Classroom program. His aunt Vanessa Coleman, herself an alumna, said her nephew’s personality reflected the program’s values of spontaneity and creativity. After attending Archie Williams, Mr. Baylacq graduated from Marin’s Community School. He stayed in the valley and was known as a hard worker and a loving person, Ms. Coleman said. She added, “When he left anywhere or hung up the phone, it didn’t matter who was around, he ended every conversation with ‘I love you.’”
The valley has raised over $80,000 for the two families. “I’ve just been blown away by how all of these boys have just wrapped around each other,” San Geronimo resident Daniel Cohen said at the vigil earlier this month. “It’s a true blessing. This kind of turnout would be the same for all of you. You all have value and you’ll get through this and there will be many moments of joy again.”
To donate to Daniel Goodrich’s GoFundMe, go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/daniel-goodrich. Mr. Baylacq’s family has asked that any further donations be made to the San Geronimo Valley Community Center.