Newspaper carrier dies while on the job

Jeffrey Dale Tremayne, 45, of Grass Valley, died early Friday morning of a heart attack while delivering newspapers for The Union, sheriff's officials said.

Sacramento Bee newspaper carrier and Grass Valley resident Ellis "Teed" Palmer, 79, found Tremayne lying on his stomach in the snow on Brunswick Pines Road at about 4:45 a.m., he said.

"I got out to check on him, and I tried to find a pulse," Palmer said. "He was cold."

Tremayne was an independent contractor for The Union who delivered newspapers on three separate routes during the early morning hours, said The Union Home Delivery Manager Carolyn Gibson.

"(Tremayne) was a good carrier, a good guy," Gibson said. "This was devastating to the department."

When Palmer found Tremayne, he did not appear to be holding a newspaper, and the snow around his body was undisturbed, Palmer said. He also could not see any blood, he said.

"I didn't see any signs of a struggle," Palmer said.

Palmer could not see Tremayne's car anywhere. He knocked on a nearby resident's door and asked the man to call 911.

Placer County pathologist Dr. Donald Henrikson performed an autopsy on Tremayne Friday afternoon.

Henrikson ruled the cause of death as an "acute coronary artery thrombosis" - a heart attack, Nevada County sheriff's spokeswoman Robin Storrs said.

Investigators found Tremayne's car on Brunswick Pines Road around the corner from his body. The car was high centered, and its tires were buried deep in the snow, Storrs said.

Investigators believe Tremayne may have been walking to get help to free his vehicle when he suffered the sudden heart attack, Storrs said.

Investigators notified Tremayne's parents of his death Friday morning. Tremayne also leaves behind an ex-wife, Storrs said.

Tremayne had no children, his parents told investigators.

ooo

To contact Staff Writer Robyn Moormeister, e-mail rmoormeis ter@theunion.com or call 477-4236.