Last month, college student Eric Chase Bolling Jr. died suddenly at the age of 19.
The news came just weeks after the boy’s father, Eric Bolling, was suspended from Fox News for allegedly harassing his female colleagues.
In the immediate wake of the tragedy, several news outlets reported that the younger Bolling had committed suicide in response to his father’s humiliating scandal.
Early reports about Bolling Jr.’s cause of death seemed to confirm those reports, as authorities attributed his passing to multiple drug toxicity.
However, questions about Eric’s motive in ingesting the substances remained.
Was this a case of a son taking his own life in response to his father’s fall from grace?
Or is this yet another accidental overdose story–the kind we hear far too often these days?
We may never receive a definitive answer, but it seems that authorities who investigated the death of Eric Chase Bolling Jr. are now favoring the latter explanation.
The news that Eric’s overdose appears to have been accidental was shared by his father on Twitter yesterday:
"Just received some tragic news from Coroner in Colorado. Eric Chase’s passing has been ruled an accidental overdose that included opioids," wrote Bolling Sr.
"Adrienne and I thank you for your continued prayers and support. We must fight against this national epidemic, too many innocent victims," he added.
While multiple drugs were found in Eric Jr.’s system, it seems it was indeed the controversial prescription painkiller fentanyl that claimed his life.
According to the coroner’s report released this week, the official cause of Eric’s death was "accidental overdose."
The report attributes his passing to the “presence of cocaine, cyclopropyl fentanyl, and fentanyl in decedent’s system.”
The news comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s declaration that the opioid crisis is now a national public health emergency.
According to a recent survey, drug overdoses are up nearly 700 percent since 1990, with opioids accounting for the majority of the 64,000 deaths recorded last year.
Our thoughts go out to Eric Bolling and his family during this incredibly difficult time.