NMSU Police: Student Who Jumped To His Death Had PCP In System
Blood tests show that an NMSU student who died after apparently falling from the top of a bull barn had PCP, cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs in his system, campus police said.
According to news release issued by the New Mexico State University Police Department, a combination of recreational and prescription drugs that may have caused 23-year-old Eric Morris to unknowingly climb onto and fall from the roof of the bull barn.
Emergency crews, who were responding to two 911 calls, found a barefoot and shirtless Morris lying on the pavement a few feet from the sidewalk directly in front of the university’s bull barn on Knox Street. They told police little external injury was visible.
The investigation has revealed that a single set of bare footprints consistent with Morris’ were found going around the barn to a railing on the southeast corner, where marks indicate a person climbed onto the roof. The tracks led from that point toward the peak of the roof, which is more than 25 feet tall.
Morris was taken to Memorial Medical Center and was in the process of being prepared for airlift to a trauma center when he died a result of severe head and internal injuries.
Initial reports indicated that Morris died as a result of a traffic crash. Even though an investigation continues, police have determined that Morris’ death was accidental and not the result of a traffic accident or “an intentional action by another person.”
Police are trying to determine where Morris obtained the drugs, and are also are looking for Morris’ shoes and shirt. He was last seen on or near campus wearing a pair of black Airwalk-brand shoes and a black T-shirt. If you have any information you are asked to call NMSU police at 575-646-3311.
