After months of speculation, an autopsy has revealed the cause of death for “9-1-1: Lone Star” and “The Rookie” star Tyler Sanders, who was discovered dead in his Los Angeles home in June.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, the 18-year-old “Fear The Walking Dead” actor died from the effects of fentanyl in what authorities have declared an accident, TMZ reported.
The coroner noted Sanders had sent a text message to his friend the night before he died, telling them that he was using the narcotic. However, the former child star didn’t respond to messages after his initial text.
Authorities also discovered a straw and white powder in the room where he died, per the report.
And while Sanders didn’t have any known medical problems, he reportedly had a history of abusing various substances, including including heroin, cocaine, LSD, mushrooms and Xanax, the outlet reported.
The report comes after the Californian was was found dead at his Los Angeles home, where he lived alone, on June 16. Police responded to a call about a male who was found not breathing, whereupon they discovered the teen alone and pronounced him dead shortly thereafter.
At the time, Sanders’ cause of death was listed as “deferred,” meaning the medical examiner is “requesting more investigation into the death, including additional studies. Once the tests/studies come back, the doctor evaluates the case again and makes the cause of death determination.”
Sanders, who entered showbiz at age 10, is perhaps known for starring in “9-1-1: Lone Star” opposite Rob Lowe. He also appeared “The Rookie,” “Fear the Walking Dead” and the Amazon Prime series “Just Add Magic: Mystery City.”
Also a student of stand-up comedy and improv, the rising star earned a 2021 Daytime Emmy nomination for his role as Leo in the “Just Add Magic” spin-off, and has a pair of independent films currently in postproduction, per to his IMDb.com profile.
Sanders was also active on social media, boasting an Instagram page with over 12,000 followers, where frequently shared photos of himself with his co-stars, friends and other nature-filled adventures.
In his last post before his death, the young talent posted a snap of himself sporting a sharp blue suit in glasses while visiting Vail, Colorado. The post was captioned: “Styling.”
The tragic news comes less than two weeks after authorities revealed that deceased TikTok star Cooper Noriega, who was also found dead in June in Los Angeles, had died of “combined effects of alprazolam, fentanyl and lorazepam.”
Meanwhile, fentanyl seizures at the US border with Mexico have continued to surge in 2022, with multiple busts setting different records throughout the year.
“A decade ago, we didn’t even know about fentanyl, and now it’s a national crisis,” U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in a press release in August. “The amount of fentanyl we are seizing at the border is staggering.”
Grossman’s comments came as the Justice Department revealed that ports of entry in San Diego and Imperial counties in Southern California were at the center of a surge in fentanyl seizures at the border, accounting for roughly 60% of seizures of the deadly drug in 2022.
However, that rise has been seen at ports across the border, with law enforcement agencies on both the Mexican and American sides making record-setting busts in 2022. Here are just a few of the border fentanyl busts that made headlines in 2022.
With Post wires