Angels' Tyler Skaggs Choked to Death With Opioids, Alcohol in System

Skaggs, 27, was found dead in his hotel room on July 1.

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A toxicology report revealed that late Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs had Fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol in his system when he was found dead in July. While under the influence of the three substances, Skaggs choked on his vomit and died. The Tarrant County medical examiner's office listed his cause of death as a mixture of “alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication with terminal aspiration of gastric contents."

According to the report, as obtained by the Los Angeles Times, the death was ruled an accident.

The Southlake, Tx., Police Department is still investigating the death.

A statement from Skaggs’s family issued Friday revealed that an Angels employee may have some involvement.

“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," the family wrote. "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.”

The Terrant County (Texas) Medical Examiner had initially estimated that the autopsy would be completed in early October.

Skaggs, 27, was found dead in his hotel room on July 1, just hours before the Angels were set to face the Rangers. The Southlake Police Department said officers responded to a call of an unconscious man in a hotel room at 2:18 p.m. Skaggs was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead at the scene. No foul play was initially suspected.

The southpaw had a 4.29 ERA and was 7–7 with 78 strikeouts in 15 starts this season.

The Angels selected Skaggs with the 40th pick in the first round of the 2009 MLB draft. He was traded to the Diamondbacks in 2010 and made his major league debut in 2012 before being sent back to the Angels after the 2013 season. He went 28-38 with a 4.41 ERA in seven major league seasons.