Clues Scarce in Fatal Falls of Mother, Son Off Freeway Bridge

Detectives investigating the deaths of a Moorpark mother and her autistic son have no shortage of theories on what sent Jacqueline and Garett Bickmann plunging from a freeway bridge in Moorpark after a flat tire stranded their vehicle midway across the span.

A strong gust from a truck rumbling across a high bridge? An autistic child too close to the bridge’s edge? Suicide or foul play?

But they still have no witnesses and few clues as to what really happened. A plea for public help produced few phone calls to detectives and only one person who saw Bickmann’s white GMC Jimmy early Wednesday before police arrived.

“We can speculate all day long,” Ventura County Sheriff’s Capt. Larry Robertson said. “But we just don’t know.”

Instead, investigators found themselves sifting through small pieces of information Thursday, trying to determine why the mother and son fell from the bridge, which connects California 23 with the Ronald Reagan Freeway.

An off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy reported seeing the vehicle, its emergency lights flashing, pulled over on the bridge about 2:35 a.m. Although the deputy did not see the mother or child, the tip narrows the time in which the fall could have occurred. California Highway Patrol officers found the bodies at 3:17 a.m.

Police were called to the Bickmann home twice in recent years, but deputies refused to release any details on the incidents Thursday, claiming those records were now part of the current investigation.

“At this point in time, we have no reason to believe that there was any family turmoil that would give someone sufficient motive to take someone’s life,” Robertson said.

Deputies also reexamined the vehicle Thursday. They found the tire had probably been deflated by a nail or another item in the roadway, so it was not intentionally caused by someone with a knife or gun.

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None of those pieces of information left police with a clear idea of what might have occurred on the darkened bridge, where the vehicle stopped next to a low protective wall. The vehicle’s keys were found lying undisturbed on the floorboards, and Bickmann’s purse, containing about $100, was found in a stroller in the back of the vehicle, Robertson said.

Although investigators have not ruled out the possibility that Jacqueline Bickmann might have taken her own life, Robertson said they found no suicide note. Instead, they found a letter at home, saying she was taking the boy for a drive.

Local parents of autistic children disagreed Thursday on whether Garett’s condition, which strikes about five in 10,000 children, could have contributed to an accident on the bridge.

Scott Salter of Oxnard noted that some autistic children are oblivious to things that can hurt them.

“There are safety issues. My daughter right now enjoys sitting in the street,” he said. “Those children just do not know when they’re in danger, and maybe that child wanted to play on the wall.”

But Cathi Nye, outgoing president of the Ventura County Autism Society, dismissed the notion. “A 4-year-old would not have put them in danger like that,” she said. “I’ve heard he wasn’t a climber.”

Jacqueline Bickmann had attended one of the society’s recent meetings and had written the American Autism Society, of which the local group is a branch, for information about available services. Nye said she sent Bickmann a packet of information on the group, which provides information and support to about 100 families throughout the county.

Although Nye did not know the Bickmanns, she had heard Garett’s condition was not as severe as that of other children with autism.

In the Bickmanns’ upscale neighborhood, where the median income is $73,900 to $87,000, according to the most recent census report, neighbors still appeared stunned by the news Wednesday, some visibly shaking and others with tear-drenched eyes.

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One homeowner said he had considered visiting husband Laurence Bickmann to offer his aid and condolences, but worried he might be bothering the family during a tough period.

“Everybody’s keeping to themselves,” said one woman. “I think there’s a great deal of sadness, especially with the closest neighbors. It’s a shock to them. Nobody likes to see a regular part of their lives disappear.”

This is the type of neighborhood where families hold Fourth of July block parties, residents said. One neighbor recalled with sadness having a conversation with Laurence Bickmann shortly after he arrived in the neighborhood with his family. She asked whether the Bickmanns planned to stay for a while.

“Oh, we plan on staying around for a long time,” she recalled him saying.

Private funeral arrangements are being handled by Groman-Eden Mortuary of Mission Hills. The date and time for services have not yet been set.

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Times staff writer Kate Folmar contributed to this report.