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The 24-year-old man who died at Lollapalooza this year accidentally overdosed on Ecstasy. That ruling is among several published this week by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Bathhouse death
Chicago police launched a death investigation after a man was found unresponsive inside a private room on the second floor of Steamworks, 3246 North Halsted on the evening of April 6.
An employee of the bathhouse discovered the man when he failed to leave by check-out time, police said.
The medical examiner now says the man died after he accidentally consumed a lethal amount of inhalants. Officials did not publicly identify the inhalant.
April’s death was the third fatality at the long-running Boystown club:
A 36-year-old suburban man who was found dead in the bathhouse’s jacuzzi on January 23, 2017, died from accidental drowning and a 31-year-old man who was found unresponsive at the club early on July 11, 2017, died from an accidental methamphetamine overdose.
Lollapalooza case
A 24-year-old Virginia man who collapsed and died at Lollapalooza on Aug. 3 died from accidental MDMA toxicity, the medical examiner ruled. MDMA, also known as Ecstasy and Molly, is a common street drug at large music festivals, concerts, and nightclubs.
The man collapsed and suffered a seizure in Grant Park on the third night of the annual festival. Personnel at the Lollapalooza medical tent and at Northwestern Memorial Hospital were unable to revive him.
Uptown case
An apparently homeless woman who appeared to die from an accidental fall onto an Uptown sidewalk while securing her bicycle this summer actually succumbed to a long-term health issue, according to the medical examiner.
Police said a witness reported that the woman had just crossed the 4500 block of North Broadway with a bicycle around 1 p.m. on July 27 when she fell face-first onto the sidewalk. The witness thought the woman fell after her coat snagged on a bike that was locked to a nearby rack.
The medical examiner ruled that the 66-year-old woman died naturally from complications of Sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that affects the body’s organs, especially the lungs and lymph glands, according to WebMD.
Uptown Alderman James Cappleman (46th) said on social media that he “knew the woman well, but only by her first name. She had been homeless for several years and was often seen with a grocery cart with all her belongings.”
“I would often buy her a sandwich at a local coffee shop, trying to get her to accept social services,” Cappleman remembered. “I had often offered to walk her to the local DFSS Office, but she would refuse due to her paranoia.”
Cappleman said the woman, “died needlessly on the streets. May she at last rest in peace.”
10-month-old
The medical examiner has confirmed that a 10-month-old Uptown boy died this summer from blunt force head trauma. But, the office was unable to determine if the death was accidental or homicide, according to published records.
Police and fire personnel went to the boy’s home on the 4500 block of North Magnolia around 9:40 p.m. on June 29 when a 911 caller reported that the boy was “acting strange” after falling out of bed and twisting his arm, according to dispatch records.
Doctors at Lurie Children’s Hospital treated the boy for hemorrhaging of the brain, police said, but he passed away on July 4.
Area North detectives had been investigating the case as possible child abuse, a police spokesperson said. The status of their investigation was not available on Tuesday.
