Sheriff's Office releases autopsy results of LaPorte County inmate

The La Porte County Sheriff's Office reported the death of Rachel Barnes, who was an inmate at the La Porte County Jail.

Barnes, of Valparaiso, Indiana, was found unresponsive in a holding cell at the jail around 1:32 a.m. on April 19th. She was pronounced dead by a deputy coroner at 2:30 a.m.

The cause of 33-year-old Barnes' death was alcohol withdrawal seizure, pulmonary edema and enlarged liver according to a pathologist who conducted the autopsy. The manner of death was natural.

Toxicology at the time of the autopsy showed a .000% blood alcohol level and a non-toxic level of methadone in Barnes' system.

When a blood draw was conducted at La Porte Hospital on April 17th, Barnes' BAC was .447%.
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