BMX 'Godfather' was found dead in Indio homeless camp

A small red, white and blue shrine is all that marks the vacant lot where the body of Scot Breithaupt, the "Godfather of BMX," was found.

Breithaupt, 57, was found in a makeshift shelter in the lot at the southwest corner of Las Palmas Road and Monroe Street in Indio on Saturday night.

"He was a god in the bicycle industry," said Jim Decker, wiping away tears as he and his wife Bridget laid out a blue wreath, a vase of red fake flowers and two red, white and blue candles.

The National BMX Hall of Fame described Breithaupt as the "Godfather of BMX." He was a founding track operator, a star racer since he was a teenager in Long Beach, a creator of bicycling company SE Racing, a major BMX promoter and a National BMX Hall of Fame member.

"He's the Michael Jordan of this industry," Decker said.

Indio Police Sgt. Dan Marshall said police had gone out to the corner where Breithaupt was found in the past for "various transient issues."

Four other people were living in the sandy, barren lot in makeshift shelters Monday afternoon. The tent where Breithaupt's body was found — a makeshift shelter made of a bed frame, two twin box mattresses, a tarp and blankets — still stood in the back corner.

Christian Jelmberg, founder of The Street Life Project, a local homeless outreach organization, said getting homeless people off the streets and back on their feet is life or death. He said two other homeless people died in Coachella Valley this month.

"And it goes unnoticed by the public," he said. "You don't hear about it that often when a homeless person dies."

Jelmberg said Breithaupt would get food at outreach events and tell stories about his BMX days. He also once showed him the YouTube video of Joe Kid on a Stingray, a BMX documentary he's featured in.

"He was full of charisma — a very happy guy," Jelmberg said. "As soon as he started talking about bikes, he'd have a big smile on his face."

Decker said Breithaupt had been living at his mom's in La Quinta. Decker said it was Breithaupt who sponsored him when he first started to race BMX as a kid. Now 48 and making custom bikes himself, he finally got to meet Breithaupt just six months ago when they discussed launching a bike project together.

Jelmberg too said Breithaupt mentioned a bike project he wanted to start that would bring in some money and help get him back on his feet.

Decker and his wife Bridget felt compelled to see the lot where Breithaupt died. They live in Phoenix but had been vacationing in Huntington Beach to celebrate the Fourth of July when they got the news of Breithaupt's death.

"This should have never happened," Decker said. "Not to this guy."

Police say Breithaupt had been dead for an unknown amount of time before being discovered. The Riverside County coroner's office identified Breithaupt Sunday, but the cause of death won't be released until after toxicology test results come back in six to eight weeks. Police say there were no obvious signs of foul play.