BMX Racing Legend Scot Breithaupt Found Dead in Vacant Lot

A body found in a vacant lot in Indio has been identified as Scot Alexander Breithaupt, a founder of bicycle motocross and a National BMX Hall of Fame member, it was reported today. He was 57.

Breithaupt of La Quinta was found in a tent in the lot at the southwest corner of LasPalmas Road and Monroe Street around 9:15 p.m. Saturday.

Indio police Sgt. Dan Marshall Sunday night confirmed Breithaupt’s identity and affiliation with the sport, The Desert Sun reported.

“We believe that is the same person -- that he is a founder of BMX. ... That is the same guy,” Marshall added.

Marshall said in a statement that Breithaupt, who had lived in the Coachella Valley since the 1990s, had been dead for an unknown length of time before someone noticed his body and called police.

Police say there were no obvious signs of foul play. The cause of his death is under investigation by the county coroner.

The National BMX Hall of Fame described Breithaupt in a Facebook post Sunday as “The Godfather of BMX.”

• --City News Service, photo courtesy of Wiki Commons