San Diego Jail Inmate Died Of Drug Overdose: Autopsy

SAN DIEGO — A battery suspect who passed out and died last month shortly after arriving at San Diego Central Jail succumbed to an accidental drug overdose, authorities reported Wednesday.

Deputies found 51-year-old Michael Leval Bush unconscious in a receiving cell at the Front Street detention center about 4:15 a.m. July 2, according to sheriff's officials.

Jail staffers and paramedics tried in vain to revive Bush before pronouncing him dead about a half-hour later, sheriff's Lt. Chad Boudreau said.

"The investigation showed Bush told (another) inmate ... that he swallowed narcotics prior to being arrested," Boudreau said. "An autopsy conducted by the Medical Examiner's Office showed a plastic baggie was (in) Bush's stomach."

The postmortem exam found that Bush died of acute methamphetamine intoxication, and his death was ruled an accident, Boudreau said.

– City News Service