A federal grand jury has issued an indictment of former Los Angeles Angels public relations director, Eric Prescott Kay related to the death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs.
Skaggs was found unconscious in an Arlington, Texas, hotel room in August of 2019 and pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death was later determined as choking to death on his own vomit. However, an autopsy later revealed evidence that Skaggs, who was 27, had fentanyl, oxycodone, and alcohol in his system.
The Angels were staying at the hotel while in tow to play the Texas Rangers.
The Texas indictment alleges Kay, 45, "did knowingly and intentionally distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl," going on to say, "the use of said substance resulted in the death and serious bodily injury of T.S."
Kay has been indicted on two counts: Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance, and Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death and Serious Bodily Injury.
The indictment returned in Texas also alleges Kay and others who are not named conspired to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl beginning in or before 2017, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Dallas.
Kay was arrested by federal authorities on August 7 on a charge of distributing fentanyl.
The Angels released a statement following his arrest:
"The circumstances surrounding his death are a tragedy that has impacted countless individuals and families. The Angels organization has fully cooperated with law enforcement and Major League Baseball. Additionally, in order to comprehensively understand the circumstances that led to his death, we hired a former federal prosecutor to conduct an independent investigation.
"We learned that there was unacceptable behavior inconsistent with our code of conduct, and we took steps to address it. Our investigation also confirmed that no one in management was aware, or informed, of any employee providing opioids to any player, nor that Tyler was using opioids. As we try to heal from the loss of Tyler, we continue to work with authorities as they complete their investigation."
It is not immediately known when Kay, who has not yet entered a plea, will be arraigned.
This story will be updated as more details become available.