BOSTON — The Bristol County DA's office announced Tuesday the official cause of death of former state senator Brian Joyce has been ruled as an overdose.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says Joyce, who was found dead in his Westport home on Sept. 27, overdosed on sleeping pills.
Officials said Joyce's cause of death was ruled as acute pentobarbital intoxication.
The DA's office also added the postmortem toxicology came back positive for elevated levels of pentobarbital and a slightly elevated level of citralopram. The autopsy further revealed hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Pentobarbital, a barbiturate, was widely used in the 1940s and 1950s as a treatment to insomnia and anxiety, but is highly lethal in overdoses.
The manner of death is still undetermined.
Authorities are still reviewing the autopsy report in order to determine if further investigation will be needed.
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