Autopsy: Halladay had morphine in system during crash

[January 20, 2018]    The body of two-time Cy Young winner Roy Halladay showed evidence of morphine, amphetamines and traces of a sleep medication when it was examined after his fatal plane crash into the Gulf of Mexico last November 7, according to an autopsy report.

The Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner's Office report also found traces of the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) and a blood-alcohol-content level of .01.

The 40-year-old former Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher was found to have died of blunt force trauma with drowning as a contributing factor, according to the report, after his single-engine crashed into the water about 10 miles off the coast of Florida near Tampa with Halladay the only passenger.

FAA regulations forbid the use of "any drug that affects the person's faculties in any way contrary to safety." The consumption of alcohol within eight hours of piloting a private aircraft is also prohibited.

Previous reports said the plane had flown erratically leading up to the crash, dipping within a few feet of the water before climbing steeply and turning sharply. Similar findings were released in a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is still investigating the matter.

--Field Level Media

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