The death of a U.S. Army veteran whose body was discovered by her daughter in a downtown Los Angeles homeless encampment was ruled accidental and due to drug use, the L.A. County Medical Examiner’s office said Wednesday.
Lucrecia Macias Barajas, 46, succumbed to the effects of fentanyl and methamphetamines, according to Dr. Jamie Nakagiri, L.A. County Deputy Medical Examiner.
Barajas was found dead May 12 at a tarp-covered shelter in a Westlake cul-de-sac along with 39-year-old Pojoy Sajqui. It’s unclear what the relationship was between both individuals, though Sajqui also died of the same cause.
The shelter was already the scene of death and injury earlier this year when authorities discovered a dead body inside a burned vehicle at the encampment. A second individual, a 38-year-old man, was also taken to the hospital.
One of Barajas’ three daughters traced her cell phone on May 12, which led her to the encampment.
Video at the time showed that same daughter crying on the ground and later begging Los Angeles Police Department officers to remove her mother’s body.
Barajas and Sajqui were found unresponsive inside a tent, and their death was pronounced at 7:30 p.m. that day by a Los Angeles fire paramedic, according to the medical examiner’s office.
A deputy medical examiner completed the examinations on May 14 and noted there were after-death injuries to Barajas due to animal activity.
In May, the LAPD characterized the death as a suspected drug overdose. Police officials told The Times they were not investigating the matter as a homicide despite calls from family members for further examination.
A family representative was not immediately available.
Staff Writer Ruben Vives contributed to this report.
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