Fundraiser Created for Man Found at Stearns Wharf

By the edhat staff

The family of a 20-year-old who was found deceased in a Stearns Wharf bathroom has created a fundraiser for funeral costs.

Johnny Venters, knicknamed “Sonny,” died last week. Santa Barbara Police received a call on September 6 of an unresponsive male in a bathroom stall at the entrance of Stearns Wharf on Cabrillo Blvd.

First responders conducted lifesaving medical aid, and Narcan was administered, but Venters was declared dead on scene.

Family and friends have now come together to create a GoFundMe page to raise funds for loved ines to memorialize him.

A relative commented that nobody loved as fiercely as Venters and even though he had a difficult life, he would have given the shirt off his back for another.

“I am reaching out for help from you in hopes we can get all of his family to Santa Ynez for his memorial service. There are many immediate family members with zero means to travel and I cannot imagine the grief and pain they are feeling, let alone the haunting feeling that they can’t get to the memorial,” the fundraising page states.

Donations can be made here.

September 6, 2023: Body Found in Stearns Wharf Bathroom