Sleeping pills, alcohol found in Olympic bobsledding champion Steven Holcomb at death
Report indicates the combination was fatal for the American, who was the sport’s biggest star in the US
Olympic bobsledding champion Steven Holcomb had prescription sleeping pills and alcohol in his system when he was found dead last month, according to a toxicology report provided to his family and USA Bobsled and Skeleton.
Holcomb’s blood-alcohol level was found to be 0.188, well above the threshold for intoxication. He also had more than the typical dosage of the sleeping aid Lunesta in his system, and the report indicated that combination was fatal for the bobsledder who was found in his bed at the Olympic Training Centre in New York on May 6.
An initial autopsy last month showed that fluid in Holcomb’s lungs was a significant factor in his death, but no precise cause of death was revealed pending the toxicology report.
“We hold our memories of him close and are so proud of him, not only as an athlete but also as a person,” the Holcomb family said in a statement to USA Bobsled and Skeleton.
The investigation by Essex County coroner Francis Whitelaw is now complete, according to US bobsled officials.
