Acton Man’s Body Found in Car at Bottom of Ravine

A 30-year-old Acton man was found dead in his car at the bottom of a 60-foot ravine Thursday after he apparently lost control during the recent storms and went over the edge of Soledad Canyon Road, authorities said.

The body of Michael Vollman was found by his friend, Los Angeles County Firefighter Paul Wenzel, who had been enlisted in the search by a woman friend of Vollman’s, county Fire Capt. Willard Sparks said.

Vollman’s employer called the woman, whose identity was not immediately available, when Vollman did not show up for work at an exotic animal ranch near Lancaster on Wednesday.

Knowing it was uncharacteristic for Vollman to miss work without calling, the woman called Wenzel and they drove to Soledad Canyon Road in Acton, stopping every few hundred feet along the road Thursday, looking for Vollman’s car.

After several hours, they spotted the car at the bottom of the ravine. The car probably flipped over several times, Sparks said, adding that Vollman was not wearing a seat belt.

“We wouldn’t have found him for a long time,” the fire captain said. “The car was hard to see.”