A City College student was found dead in her apartment last Tuesday evening from an apparent heroin overdose in Isla Vista, California.
Asha Marie Malocsay, 18, from Livermore, California was found unconscious on Sept. 6 in her Isla Vista apartment. The friend who discovered her unresponsive called the police and attempted CPR. Santa Barbara Fire Department officials arrived to the scene and determined there was no sign of life, pronouncing her dead at 6:25 p.m., according to the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s report.
Malocsay had moved to Isla Vista only days before her death, and was beginning her first semester at City College, which has been in session for about three weeks.
Law enforcement officials suspect her death was caused by an overdose of a drug cocktail of heroin, cocaine and potentially other lethal substances. However, the coroner’s office is still investigating the case and the cause of death will officially be determined once the toxicology tests are complete, the report says.
Deaths from heroin overdoses have increased recently due to the drug being laced with another opioid called fentanyl, however there is no known connection with this case at the moment.
Luz Martin-Reyes, City College public information officer, said Malocsay was a first-time college student enrolled for fall semester classes.
“It is certainly very tragic,” she wrote. “We have been reaching out to provide counseling and other support for her roommates and anyone else affected by her death.”
The sheriff’s department expects a full coroner’s report to be complete within the next two weeks.