An infant found dead last month in the East Bluff died from cocaine intoxication.
That's according to Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood. He said Tuesday that forsenic testing shows one-month-old Grayson Luncsford's final cause of death was drug-related.
"After thorough analysis, it was determined that the presence and quantity of cocaine in the baby’s system were significant enough to conclude that cocaine intoxication was the immediate cause of death," Harwood said.
How the cocaine entered the baby's body is still a matter under investigation, Harwood said.
Harwood said Grayson Luncsford also suffered from heat stress, dehydration, malnutrition, and neglect. He said these other factors would have also proven fatal had cocaine not killed the baby first.
The baby was left in a U-Haul truck rented by his mother, 26-year-old Andrea Luncsford. A pathologist said the baby was dead 12 to 24 hours by the time he was found. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
A witness said the truck was parked in a driveway for much of the afternoon on a hot September day with the windows rolled up. Police said Andrea Luncsford was clearly under the influence when they arrived on the scene. She would later test positive for cocaine.
Andrea Luncsford is now charged with her baby's murder and endangering the life and health of a child. She was denied pretrial release by a judge. She is set to appear in Peoria County Circuit Court for an arraignment Wednesday morning.
