Reports show cause of
star athlete's death
By Ian Clift
Summer Reporter
The immediate cause of death for former Purdue
track and basketball star Corissa Yasen was listed as "Acute MultiDrug
Overdose," according to a coroner's report.
Suicide was listed as the manner of death according
to Robert West, Kootenai County coroner, in an official statement.
The West Lafayette community knew Yasen as one
of the best athletes in Purdue history; she was found dead in her apartment
in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on May 12 at age 27.
"In a difficult situation like this, you need to
remember the vibrancy of life and the gifts that Corissa brought to
all of us," said Morgan Burke, athletic director for Purdue University.
A forensic autopsy performed by the Spokane County
coroner led to a panel of toxicology tests, which were conducted by
the National Medical Services Laboratory in Willow Grove, Pa.
Elevated or toxic levels of Diazepam, Hydrocodone,
Lorazepam, Fluoxetine and other drugs were found in the toxicology analysis,
including anti-depressants, painkillers and anxiety medications. Investigators
also recovered substantial quantities of Class III and IV drugs and
narcotics in Yasen's residence.
Results were released to Yasen's parents pervious
to public press notification, said Jodie DeLuca, chief deputy coroner
for Kootenai County.
Yasen worked for a local pharmacy in Hayden, Idaho;
she graduated from Purdue with a degree in Pharmacy in 1997.
Under Head Women's Track Coach Ben Paolillo, she
became Purdue's first NCAA track and field champion, winning the seven-event
heptathlon. Yasen is the most decorated track and field athlete in Purdue
history.
She was a nine-time All-American and 10-time Big
Ten champion. She was Purdue's Female Athlete-of-the-Year as a junior
and senior and was a Big Ten Medal of Honor winner, as well as Big Ten
Athlete of the Year.
"I feel for her, and I feel for her family," said
Burke. "She was a bright and articulate person full of life and her
time came to soon."
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