NAMES IN THE NEWS : Coroner Lists McCallum Drugs
Jason McCallum, the adopted son of actress Jill Ireland, died after playing “chemical roulette” by ingesting a combination of painkillers and muscle relaxants, the coroner’s office said today.
McCallum’s death was attributed to a drug overdose late last month, but it was unknown what drugs were involved until today’s announcement of the results of toxicological tests.
Coroner’s office spokesman Bob Dambacher said the tests found evidence that McCallum, 27, ingested codeine and a prescription muscle relaxer called carisoprodol.
Two other drugs, morphine and meprobamate, were also found in his body. Those drugs were not directly ingested by McCallum, but turned up in his body after the codeine and carisoprodol broke down, Dambacher said.
“It’s like a chemical roulette, you take one drug and then another drug and they gang up on you,” Dambacher said.
McCallum, who had a history of drug and alcohol abuse, was found dead in the bathroom of his Hollywood Hills apartment Nov. 7.
His death has been listed as an accident.
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