FORT WORTH, Texas — A former Los Angeles Angels employee has been charged with distributing fentanyl in connection with pitcher Tyler Skaggs' death more than a year ago.
Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in Southlake, Texas, on July 1, 2019.
Note: The video above is from Aug. 2019, when Skaggs autopsy was completed.
Former Angels Communication Director Eric Prescott Kay, 45, was charged with conspiracy to distribute a mixture containing detectable amounts of fentanyl, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
Kay was arrested in Fort Worth, Texas, and made his initial appearance Friday at the Mahon Federal Courthouse.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner later reported that Skaggs had a mixture of ethanol, fentanyl, and oxycodone in his system at the time of his death.
It was later found that Skaggs would not have died if he hadn't ingested the fentanyl, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
The investigation began after Skaggs was found dead last July, according to court documents. Investigators found a number of pills at the scene, including a blue pill with the marking M/30 that closely resembled a 30mg oxycodone pill, documents say.
An analysis of the pill found it had been laced with fentanyl, a synthetic opiate 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine.
Initially, Kay told investigators he didn't know whether Skaggs used drugs and claimed the last time he had seen the pitcher was at check-in on June 30, the complaint says.
While searching his phone, investigators said they found text messages that appeared to be Skaggs asking Kay to stop by his room that night.
Records from the hotel showed that Kay's door opened at 11:29 p.m. followed by Skagg's door nine minutes later, the investigation found.
Investigators also learned that Kay told a colleague he had visited Skaggs' room that night, despite previous denials.
The DEA determined that Kay had regularly provided blue M/30 pills to Skaggs and others, according to the complaint.
If convicted, Kay faces up to 20 years in prison.