Angels Pitcher Tyler Skaggs Died From Deadly Mix of Fentanyl, Oxycodone and Alcohol
Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died from a deadly mix of drugs and alcohol in his system, this according to authorities in Texas where the young pitcher tragically died earlier this year.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner released the cause Friday, saying the official cause was due to ethanol, fentanyl and oxycodone, along with "terminal aspiration of gastric contents."
Tyler Skaggs' family tells The Blast,
"We are heartbroken to learn that the passing of our beloved Tyler was the result of a combination of dangerous drugs and alcohol. That is completely out of character for someone who worked so hard to become a Major League baseball player and had a very promising future in the game he loved so much.
They add,
“We are grateful for the work of the detectives in the Southlake Police Department and their ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Tyler’s death. We were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels. We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them. To that end, we have hired Texas attorney Rusty Hardin to assist us."
As we reported, Skaggs passed away this past July in Texas after being found unresponsive in his hotel room.
According to the Southlake Police Department, Skaggs was found at 2:18pm in his hotel room, "Officers arrived and found the male unresponsive and he was pronounced deceased at the scene," police said.
No foul play was suspected in the case and the and police said the investigation was ongoing.
The Angels were in town to play the Texas Rangers, and the team was staying in a nearby hotel. A welfare check was done on Tyler after he didn't report to the team and they found him dead in the room.
The team announced his passing that day saying, "It is with great sorrow that we report Tyler Skaggs passed away earlier today in Texas."
The statement continued, "Tyler has, and always will be, an important part of the Angels Family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Carli and his entire family during this devastating time."
The Rangers also issued a statement, "The Texas Rangers organization wants to express its deepest sympathies to the family of Tyler Skaggs and to the entire Angels organization on this shocking loss. The thoughts and prayers of every member of the Texas Rangers and all of their fans are with the Angels organization at this difficult time."
We broke the story, emergency dispatch obtained by The Blast, revealed the initial dispatchers said the call was a "medical emergency." In a second call, the officer can be heard categorizing the situation as a "possible death investigation."
