Santa Barbara police ask for information about deceased Santa Maria woman

May 28, 2026

Vesna Prepolec

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

The Santa Barbara Police Department is asking the public for information about Vesna Prepolec, 46, of Santa Maria whom authorities found dead on a beach earlier this month.

Just after 5 p.m. on May 8, witnesses reported a woman lying in the sand on East Beach along Cabrillo Boulevard in Santa Barbara. Several first responders arrived and found Prepolec unresponsive and showing no signs of life. Paramedics pronounced Prepolec dead at the scene.

Prepolec’s cause of death remains under investigation. The Santa Maria woman was homeless at the time of her death, police say.

Originally from Michigan, Prepolec built a career spanning about 15 years as a marketing analyst, working primarily in the automotive industry. Over the last five years, she set out for a new chapter, trying her luck in Santa Barbara, according to her obituary.

Court records show that, in 2025, Prepolec was charged with possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. Prepolec was ordered to a diversion program in Aug. 2025, which she violated this February and April. [Santa Barbara Independent]

Santa Barbara police ask that anyone who has information Prepolec or her recent whereabouts call Detective Baca at (805) 897-2346.