'He'd Be Proud': Loved Ones Remember Inge Baumbach

MALIBU, CA — Loved ones remembered Inge Baumbach, who was recently found dead in Malibu, as a dedicated and brave security guard.

Baumbach, 58, was found dead outside Trancas Canyon Nursery on March 29, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Lost Hills Station. Community members began donating to his family.

Baumbach worked as a security guard for a nearby shopping center. The cause of his death was still undetermined, but authorities do not suspect foul play, the department said in a statement.

Baumbach was a brave, fearless protector of many, said SaraLyn Mandel, who was living with Baumbach at the time he died, on Friday. Mandel and Baumbach had a 20-year relationship.

Baumbach loved his work as a security guard, Mandel said. Originally from Sweden, Baumbach served in the Swedish army before moving to the United States about 25 years ago. He wanted ultimately to serve in the United States military or in law enforcement.

"He was a gentle spirit. … Don't mistake the guard and the military [interests]. One of the reasons I had fallen in love with him was he was so sweet and gentle,” Mandel said.

When Mandel and Baumbach met, he was a landscape designer, and he continued to love gardening after he began his work as a security guard. Baumbach loved animals, particularly Mandel's Doberman pinscher. He loved his mother, Inger Baumbach, and had been working extra shifts for years to help provide for her and Inge's two sons, Oliver and Mathias Johansson, who are all in Sweden.

Mandel made a GoFundMe page to raise money to send to Baumbach's family.

Some of Baumbach's co-workers reached out to Mandel after she made the GoFundMe page, which reported $251 in donations as of Monday. Co-workers remember him as friendly and devoted to his work, Mandel said.

Given Baumbach's death garnered so much media attention, Mandel said she was glad to help people understand who he really was.

“I’m happy that it went from just some dead security agent in Malibu to who this person is,” Mandel said. She added: "He’d be proud to know that people knew who he was and knew he was doing this job and that he was a very proud American."

Mandel also hoped Baumbach's story can help shed light on the dangerous and often underappreciated work of security guards.

Inge Baumbach was survived by his mother, Inger Baumbach; his brother, Richard Baumbach; and his sons, Oliver and Mathias Johansson.

Readers can donate to Baumbach's family on Mandel's GoFundMe page.

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