Angels Pitcher Tyler Skaggs Died Of Alcohol, Fentanyl, Oxycodone Mix
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A toxicology report has determined that 27-year-old Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died in Texas of an accidental overdose from a mix of alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone last month.
On the afternoon of July 1, Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in the Dallas area suburb of Southlake. At the time, police ruled out both foul play and suicide. The Angels were in Dallas for a three-game series against the Rangers.
The toxicology report released Friday by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner and obtained by CBS2 determined he had a cocktail of drugs in his system including ethanol, fentanyl and oxycodone. The manner of death was ruled an accident.
The Southlake Police Department issued a statement Friday confirming that is continuing its investigation into Skaggs' death.
A statement released by the Skaggs family Friday claimed that an Angels employee may have been involved in the death:
"We were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels," the statement read in part. "We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them."
The Angels provided CBS2 with the following statement, but did not reference the Skaggs family's allegations.
"Tyler was and always will be a beloved member of the Angels Family and we are deeply saddened to learn what caused this tragic death," the team wrote. "Angels Baseball has provided our full cooperation and assistance to the Southlake Police as they conduct their investigation."
Skaggs, who attended Santa Monica High School where his mother is a softball coach, was drafted by the Angels back in 2009. He was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010, but was then traded back to the Angels in 2013, and had been with the Angels ever since. He was recently married to his wife Carli during this past offseason.
Skaggs underwent Tommy John surgery that kept him out of action during the 2015 season. He had a career record of 28-38 with a 7-7 record this season.
Here is the full statement from the Skaggs family:
"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.
"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."
