The death of a woman whose body was found last summer in the Bear River has been ruled an accident, authorities announced Friday.
Utah’s State Medical Examiner said 26-year-old Nicole Barlow drowned in the river because of acute morphine and methamphetamine toxicity, Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Dale Ward said in a news release.
An autopsy found no evidence of trauma, the release states.
A fisherman found Barlow, of Brigham City, floating in the Bear River about a quarter-mile north of the Corinne boat ramp about 8:45 p.m. on June 25, 2016.
Investigators initially deemed Barlow’s death “suspicious.” That changed after detectives conducted a yearlong, multi-state investigation to track down sources and leads, in addition to the medical examiner’s ruling, Ward said.
The toxicology report also detected alcohol and amphetamine in Barlow’s system.