Security guard found dead in Malibu nursery identified as Inge Baumbach

A man who was found dead in the parking lot of a Malibu nursery was identified Thursday as 58-year-old Inge Baumbach.

Baumbach's body was found Tuesday morning in the parking lot of Trancas Canyon Nursery, which is located behind a shopping center that's also home to Trancas Country Market and Kristy's Malibu in 30000 block of Pacific Coast Highway. An employee arriving for work had made the discovery.

Authorities say Baumbach, who was described as an overnight security guard for the shopping center, suffered blunt force trauma to his head and upper torso. However, an official cause of death was not yet given.

No weapon was found at the scene and no suspect information was available.

"It's wasn't just a security guard's body found in Malibu," said SaraLynn Mandel, a longtime friend and former fiancée of Baumbach's. 

The killing stunned the Malibu community, where residents enjoy a small-town feel despite the city's world-famous reputation.

Mandel wanted to make sure that people know the man whose face has made headlines over the last week is more than just that, noting that Baumbach was a "man that loved his country" as well. 

He served in the Swedish army, and once he had relocated to the United States he had aspirations of joining law enforcement. 

"He was a consummate protector," she said. 

An area normally designated as safe by locals, she continued to note that Baumbach would often tell her of different "encounters with homeless people in that area."

Authorities are now investigating the incident as a suspicious death, especially since Baumbach himself wasn't armed. 

"I'm frankly kind of surprised," Chris Frost, chair of the Malibu Public Safety Commission, said on Tuesday. "This isn't something that's common to our area."

Mandel contradicted that statement, stating that the characterization of the area is "not true," especially after different stories of confrontations she heard from Baumbach. 

She continued to mention how she was concerned for his safety, noting how he had multiple altercations with people on the premises, including several that were "perhaps on substances."

"I'm just sad I couldn't say goodbye," Mandel concluded. "Thank you for everything you did for my family. I love you."

She plans to keep fighting for answers, not just for Baumbach himself, but for his mother, his brother and the two sons he leaves behind in Sweden.

The L.A. Coroner's Office has yet to determine a cause of death, and is awaiting a toxicology report before offering a final decision.