Max Barry Died From Lethal Drug Cocktail: Autopsy

NASHVILLE, TN — A Colorado medical examiner determined Max Barry, the 22-year-old son of Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, died from a lethal combination of Xanax and opioids.

In a report released late Wednesday, the Jefferson County Coroner's officer said Barry's death was caused by a combination of the anti-anxiety medication Xanax, liquid methadone and hydromorphone, also known as Hydal. Both methadone and hydromorphone are opioids. Barry also had THC, the psychoactive constituent of marijuana, in his system and the autopsy indicated recent cocaine use. The coroner added hypertension and obesity as contributing factors in Barry's July 29 death at a home in the Denver suburb of Littleton.

(For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

The mayor and her husband, Bruce, have been open about the circumstances leading to Max's death, calling it an "apparent overdose" in a news release Sunday and with the mayor speculating in numerous local and national interviews that Xanax was likely involved in the overdose. Max Barry had spent a month at a Florida rehabilitation clinic last summer prior to completing his degree at the University of Puget Sound. He had moved to the Denver area with friends to work construction.

In a 911 call released by the Jefferson County Sheriff, a friend of Max Barry's told the dispatcher he and another friend had left to get something to eat and returned to the house to find Barry nonresponsive. That friend confirmed on the call that Barry had taken pills.

The dispatcher gives the friend instructions in an attempt to revive Barry and the caller shouts "Max" repeatedly. The friend later tells the operator he can hear Max wheezing and then asks "Can you breathe?". The 6 minute, 35 second call ends when police arrive at the home.

Image via the Office of the Mayor