THOUSAND OAKS : Autopsy on Homeless Man Is Inconclusive

An autopsy failed to determine the cause of death of a 32-year-old homeless man who was found dead in his car at a Thousand Oaks park-and-ride lot, authorities said Tuesday.

Coroner’s officials are now waiting for the results of toxicology tests to show what drugs might have been ingested by Harrison David Droege before he was found inside his locked car early Monday. Those results could take up to two months, said James Baroni, autopsy assistant.

Droege’s body was wrapped inside a sleeping bag, as if he had fallen asleep there. His car was stuffed with clothing and other personal possessions.

Sheriff’s investigators said they found no sign of foul play and nothing to indicate that Droege had been killed by another person. His body may have been in the car for up to five days before it was discovered by authorities.

“I was pretty much convinced at the scene that I didn’t have a crime,” said Sgt. Mike Barnes of the major crimes unit.

Sheriff’s investigators will wait for the coroner’s office to determine a cause of death before doing anything further on the case.

Deputy Coroner Craig Stevens said Droege apparently had been homeless for about a year and was living out of his car.

His sister, Linda Droege, said she was stunned by the news of her brother’s death. She last spoke with him about two weeks ago when he told her he’d gotten a job with a temporary agency doing clerical work.

“This isn’t making sense,” she said. “I keep thinking I’m going to get on an airplane and go out there and find out what’s going on.

“At the end he was so ambitious. He said he wanted to get his car fixed in two weeks. He was too pumped up to be lying about everything,” she added.

Linda Droege, 30, who lives just outside Indianapolis, said she used to allow her brother to call her collect until she could no longer afford it. She said she occasionally sent him small packages of clothing or envelopes of money.

Linda Droege said she knew of no health problems that might have led to her brother’s death. She said he had been living out of his car for about a year.

Droege’s last known job was with the U.S. Defense Department’s Contract Audit Agency in Oxnard, where he worked for four years as an auditor. He resigned last May for personal reasons, said Phil Rogers, a spokesman for the office.