Adam Hill’s death ruled a suicide due to overdose of cocaine and anti-depressant
Late San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill’s death has been ruled a suicide due to intentional mixture of cocaine and an anti-depressant medication, a finding by the county Sheriff-Coroner’s Office filed with the state Monday shows.
According to an amendment on Hill’s death certificate obtained by The Tribune, Hill died of the “combined toxic effects of cocaine and amitriptyline,” a prescription anti-anxiety medication used to treat depression.
The finding concludes that Hill died of suicide after he “ingested a lethal amount of narcotics.”
Until this week, Hill’s cause and manner of death, as well as any drugs in his system, had been listed as “pending” on his death certificate.
His estranged wife, Dee Torres, told The Tribune in a statement Wednesday that Hill was not a recreational drug user and that evidence shows he planned a fatal dose.
Hill, 54, was found in his home in Shell Beach on Aug. 6, just days after he returned to work following treatment for clinical depression.
He was open about his mental health problems, and in late March confirmed he attempted suicide on March 11, the same day the FBI conducted a search of Hill’s office at the County Government Center. The FBI says it conducted two additional searches that day, including at a property in Pismo Beach and another location that the agency has not identified.
In July, Hill announced he was seeking “specialized care” for his mental health at a residential program.
Sheriff-Coroner’s Office spokesman Tony Cipolla said Wednesday that the agency’s investigation remains ongoing and the findings have not yet been finalized.
Cipolla said the amended certificate reflects information the county sent to the California Department of Health for inclusion in the statewide Electronic Death Registry system.
Results from Hill’s toxicology report — which will include the amount of substances Hill ingested — are still several weeks away, and will be included in a final coroner’s report at that time, Cipolla said.
On Wednesday, Torres sent the following statement to The Tribune:
“Adam Hill died of a self-induced overdose of cocaine and an anti-depressant called amitriptyline.
“For years, Adam suffered profoundly from the physical disease of depression. He tried repeatedly to treat it with counseling, medication and meditation — and had previously tried to end his own life on more than one occasion.
“I found in his personal journal and in his online history that Adam had searched for and found this mix of chemicals as a successful way to take his own life and end his personal suffering.
“Adam was not a user of cocaine nor any other illegal substance. Anyone who suggests otherwise does not know the facts or is not telling the truth.
“Adam was a good and decent man, and he leaves behind a family and community of friends who still grieve his loss.
“This is all I will have to say about this matter.”
Anyone who might be experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions in San Luis Obispo County is encouraged to call the local SLO Hotline, a confidential mental health guidance, crisis, and suicide prevention telephone line run by Transitions Mental Health Association. The hotline also provides mental health resource information. Call them any time at 800-783-0607.
This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 2:39 PM.
