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Coroner: Fentanyl a key contributor to January Bucks prison death

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The Bucks County Coroner announced the cause of death for a prisoner who died in the county’s correctional facility in January. The identity of a second prisoner, who died this month, was also released Friday.

Octavius Davis, 35, died of “combined drug intoxication” that included 7-amino clonazepam, mirtazapine, xylazine and fentanyl, the coroner’s office said in a statement. Fentanyl, said coroner Meredith Buck, “contributed significantly to his death.

“Mr. Davis had been incarcerated for almost two weeks at the time of his death, indicating these drugs entered his system while he was in prison.”

The drugs in Davis’ system were a mix of antidepressant medication, a large animal sedative that, Buck said, is now commonly found in drug overdose deaths in the Philadelphia area, especially when fentanyl is present.

“Fentanyl has been involved in approximately 70 percent of drug overdoses in Bucks County in recent years,” said the coroner.

Buck identified the woman who died in the jail March 1 as Melissa Mager, 48, of Philadelphia. The cause of her death remains under investigation.


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