Autopsy results, recently released by the Daytona Beach Sheriff’s Office, confirm that a Florida couple overdosed on drugs earlier this year while their children were left watching a movie. 

Daniel, 32, and Heather Kelsey, 30, died from an accidental overdose of the powerful painkiller fentanyl reports Fox35.  The couple died on New Year’s Eve when they were found unconscious on the side of the road, their three young boys strapped in car seats and watching a movie in the backseat of the family SUV.

When a Florida Highway Patrol trooper found the SUV around 2:00 a.m. alongside Interstate 4 it was still running and the hazard lights were blinking, according to a statement released by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Department. Daniel and Heather Kelsey were found unconscious outside of the vehicle and were pronounced dead at the scene shortly thereafter.

The couple had been married for six years and had three sons together. The boys, ages 2, 1, and approximately 8 months, were strapped into their car seats and watching a movie when the trooper came across them. It is unknown how long the children were unattended on the side of the road.

Autopsies were performed on the couple and initial results showed one of them tested presumptive positive for the presence of drugs. The final results of the toxicology report took several months to complete and were announced on June 9 in a statement on the Volusia County Sheriff’s website:

“The Sheriff’s Office has received the medical examiner’s report regarding the deaths of Daniel and Heather Kelsey. Their autopsies determined the Kelseys died as a result of accidental fentanyl overdose. The Sheriff’s Office investigation remains open at this time.”

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is frequently used to treat acute and chronic pain associated with advanced cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It is also 50 times more potent than heroin and has contributed to a sudden increase in overdose fatalities over the last few years.

According to the CDC, opioid overdoses have quadrupled since 1999 and drug overdose cases in Florida rose over 22% between 2014 and 2015 alone.

[Feature Photo: Facebook]