Man found dead under snowbank outside his home near Lake Tahoe
Authorities are investigating the death of a man whose body was discovered under a snowbank outside his home near Lake Tahoe, officials said.
The body of Todd Michael Borchardt, 49, was found buried under a pile of snow in his driveway Tuesday morning after Placer County sheriff’s deputies found his car in a market parking lot more than a mile away.
The car had been reported abandoned earlier Tuesday and was covered in snow and had no tracks or footprints around it, authorities said. After determining the car was registered to Borchardt, deputies went to his home to investigate.
His dogs were inside barking and deputies found his cellphone and wallet, officials said. Neighbors told the deputies that they hadn’t seen him for a few days and were concerned.
Finding no other signs of Borchardt, deputies called in North Tahoe firefighters to help with the search around the property.
Soon after, Borchardt’s body was found under a pile of snow near his driveway. No foul play is suspected and the cause of death has yet to be determined, sheriff’s officials said.
Homewood, a community on the west side of Lake Tahoe, has been slammed by blustery winter storms over the last three weeks, along with the entire Sierra Nevada. National Weather Service data shows temperatures there haven’t climbed above 30 degrees since Jan. 18.
The storms have triggered a host of fatal car crashes and at least two deaths from falling trees, along with uncounted power outages, road closures, floods and white-outs.
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