CorePower Yoga founder dead in his Sunset Cliffs home

The founder of the CorePower Yoga franchise was found dead in his $3 million Sunset Cliffs home on Monday.

The death of Trevor A. Tice, 48, is being investigated as suspicious, a San Diego police homicide official said. The cause of his death has not been released.

“We don’t know what we have,” said homicide Lt. Mike Holden on Tuesday. “This may end up being a death, not a murder.”

Tice founded CorePower Yoga in Denver in 2002 and oversaw its expansion into a several states. The first San Diego studio was opened in 2006 in the Point Loma area, according to a company website.

Public records show that Tice bought a five-bedroom home on Cornish Drive, in Sunset Cliffs, in January for $3 million.

Holden said a friend of Tice called police at 12:15 p.m. Monday to ask that officers check on Tice’s welfare. The friend had gone to the house and saw something that caused concern. Officers found Tice dead in the home, which was undergoing some remodeling.

Tice was living at the house, alone, through the remodeling, Holden said.

He said investigators were still processing evidence at the house Tuesday afternoon. Neighbors were interviewed on Monday.

“They were very helpful in talking to us,” Holden said.

A media representative at CorePower Yoga’s Denver headquarters provided this written statement about Tice:

“We are deeply saddened to confirm that our CorePower Yoga founder, Trevor Tice, passed away on Monday, Dec. 12, 2016. ... Our community is grieving this tragic loss and honoring Trevor’s tremendous legacy.”

Published accounts of Tice’s life have described him as growing up in Telluride, Colo., and enjoying mountain sports including skiing and rock climbing. In the 1990s he ran Tech Partners International, an IT outsourcing firm.

A climbing accident left him with a shattered ankle and he focused his interests on yoga. As he traveled and came across lackluster independent yoga studios, he decided to create his own brand, giving member-clients the feel of an upscale health club.

Tice developed an energetic form of yoga, taught classes himself and became CEO of CorePower Yoga.

He cited $45.2 million in revenue from the studios in 2012, according to an online Inc. magazine article. The next year, Catterton Partners invested $100 million into his company. Executives envisioned a chain of 500 franchises across the nation. Tice stepped aside as CEO in April 2014 and since remained on the board of directors.

Wikipedia’s entry on CorePower Yoga said it had more than 160 locations across the country as of November.