The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday that the death of a U.S. Army veteran was the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday that the body found by her daughter in downtown Los Angeles was found accidentally and was ruled for drug use.
Lucrecia Macias Barajas, 46, succumbed to the effects of fentanyl and methamphetamine, according to Dr. Jamie Nakagiri, associate medical examiner in Los Angeles County.
Barajas died on May 12 at the tarpaulin shelter in Westlake Cul-de-Sac along with 39-year-old Pojoy Sajqui. It is not clear what the relationship between the two is, although Sajqui also died for the same reason.
The shelter is already the site of death and injury earlier this year, with authorities finding bodies inside a burned vehicle while at the camp. The second person, a 38-year-old man, was also taken to the hospital.
One of Barajas’s three daughters tracked her cell phone on May 12, which led her to enter the camp.
The video at the time showed the same daughter crying on the ground and later begging Los Angeles Police Department officials to remove the mother’s body.
According to the Medical Examiner’s Office, Los Angeles firefighters announced at 7:30 p.m. that day that Barajas and Saji were not responding in the tent.
An associate medical examiner completed the examination on May 14 and noted that Barajas had died due to animal activity.
In May, LAPD described the death as a suspected drug overdose. Police officials told The Times that despite family members calling for further inspections, they did not investigate the matter as a homicide.
Family representatives are not available immediately.
Staff member Ruben Vives contributed to the report.
