Autopsy: Jose Fernandez Had Cocaine, Alcohol In System
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Toxicology reports released Saturday in the death of Jose Fernandez have revealed that the star pitcher used drugs and alcohol just before crashing his boat off Miami Beach.
Fernandez and two friends, Emilio Macias, 27, and Eduardo Rivero, 25, died last month.
Reports show Fernandez's blood alcohol was at 0.147, nearly twice the legal limit, and he had cocaine and other substances in his system at the time of his death.
Both Macias and Rivero were found to be under the legal limit for alcohol. Though, Rivero's blood showed cocaine and other substances, as well. Macias was determined to not have any cocaine in his system.
It's unknown whether the 24-year-old Fernandez was behind the wheel of the Kaught Looking, the 32-foot SeaVee he owned that crashed along a jetty near Government Cut on September 25th. Authorities have not yet a determination.
In a statement issued by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, the disclosure of the autopsy and toxicology reports for Fernandez, Macias and Rivero came after numerous requests and a battle for public release.
"The Medical Examiner was prepared to release the information," Gimenez said in a statement to the media. "However, Florida Fish & Wildlife, a state agency, submitted an affidavit to Miami-Dade County saying that it was conducting a criminal investigation and therefore the autopsy and toxicology report should not be released until its investigation had concluded. When a local news organization which had submitted a public records request for the information was informed that it would not be released due to the Fish & Wildlife investigation, the news organization filed a lawsuit against the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner. Since the information was being held at the Fish & Wildlife's request, the County asked the agency to join in the public records lawsuit as a co-defendant. Fish & Wildlife refused to be a party to the lawsuit."
That news organization making the request was CBS4 News partner The Miami Herald.
Gimenez goes on to say that in a matter of transparency, and because the county's role in the investigation is complete, he has "directed the Medical Examiner to fulfill public records requests for the autopsy and toxicology report (Saturday)" and that "Fish & Wildlife has the responsibility to prove an active criminal investigation."
