Tuesday, February 5th, 2008
Death ruled as accidental drug overdose
By Margie Wuebker
The November death of a Celina man has been ruled a case of accidental drug overdose, according to reports from the Mercer County Sheriff's Office.
Nathaniel Heitbrink, 23, 224 Jackson St., was found dead in bed at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 12. Diana Heitbrink reportedly saw her son's vehicle parked at the home when he should have been working at Creative Cabinetry and went to investigate.
The report, issued by Mercer County Coroner Timothy Heinrichs, indicates the presence of three drugs - opiates, the painkiller Fentanyl and tetrahydrocannabinol, the active chemical in cannabis, more commonly known as the source of marijuana.
Initially, Mercer County Chief Deputy Gery Thobe told The Daily Standard there were no signs of foul play and nothing was found at the scene to suggest a possible cause of death. Later reports listed two items - a red wooden box containing drug paraphernalia and a multicolored glass pipe with unspecified residue - had been located in the bedroom along with a cell phone and a partial bottle of water.
Heitbrink had been dead for some time, but the report did not mention how long, according to Thobe.
The body was taken to Mercer County Community Hospital in Coldwater and later transported to the Montgomery County Coroner's Office in Dayton for autopsy and toxicology tests.
Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey confirmed this morning that the case is now closed.
