"Storage Wars" star Mark Balelo dead at 40 Mark Balelo, an auction house owner who appeared on the A&E reality series "Storage Wars," was found dead on Monday at his workplace, authorities told the Ventura County Star, two days after he was arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance. The Ventura County Medical Office would not give a cause of death, the paper said. An autopsy is scheduled to be conducted Tuesday. Police said Balelo was arrested Saturday in connection with possession of methamphetamine, according to the Star. He was scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 19. TMZ reports that the 40-year-old Balelo was found dead in his car of carbon monoxide poisoning. The website says the car was parked and running in the garage at his auction house in Simi Valley, Calif. He was reportedly discovered by one of his employees on Monday morning. Balelo appeared on a number of episodes of "Storage Wars" over the past few seasons and was nicknamed "Rico Suave" for his outlandish style. He owned Balelo Inc., a liquidation merchandise business.