Santa Ana : Dead Inmate Reportedly Had Ingested Morphine

An autopsy revealed the presence of morphine in the body of Robin Ross Latham, an inmate who died after being found unconscious on his bunk in the Orange County Jail, according to a source close to the investigation into the death.

The official cause of death will not be known until toxicological tests are complete, a process that could take several weeks, authorities said Thursday.

The source said that evidence of morphine, a heroin derivative, was disclosed in the preliminary autopsy.

Latham, 43, of Huntington Beach was in an eight-man cell with several other inmates Tuesday when he lost consciousness, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Thomas Goethals. Cellmates notified marshals, who called paramedics, Goethals said. Latham was taken to UCI Medical Center, where he died about 6:30 p.m.

Latham had been in jail since April 10 pending trial on charges of illegally possessing a pistol in violation of his parole. He had served a state prison term for the 1977 murder of Tom Hoffman, 25, whom he picked up hitchhiking from a relative’s home in Westminster to the beach. He had also been convicted of bank robbery and auto theft.