The cause of death was finally revealed for a mom of six found at a homeless encampment in May, according to PEOPLE. 46-year-old Lucrecia Macias Barajas had gone missing for several days before they found her body.
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Mom Found Dead In Homeless Camp Due To Drug Overdose
Now, on July 9, the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner determined that Barajas died inside a tent with 39-year-old Fredy Pojoy Sajqui due to fentanyl and methamphetamine. The authorities believe both deaths were accidental.
“Both Ms. Macias Barajas and Mr. Pojoy Sajqui were found unresponsive inside a tent on May 12 in downtown Los Angeles near Miramar St. and S. Beaudry Ave,” the statement read. “Death was pronounced at 1930 hours by a paramedic with the Los Angeles Fire Department.”
According to NBC4, the woman’s daughter had to rip through the locked tent to discover the bodies. Dogs had seemingly eaten away at the dead bodies, police claimed. The same daughter had been searching for her mother for days, leading to this heartbreaking discovery.
“I definitely feel for the daughter because I saw her very emotional throughout the whole ordeal,” said Harrison Redd, a local who lives near the encampment.
Another nearby witness, Francis Jacobs-Bailey, felt terrible about the ordeal. “We were very tired with the situation with the homeless here,” admitted Bailey. “This is a very nice neighborhood. They sell drugs around here. It’s new. I live here for seven years. This never happened before. Never, never, never, never. So I hope somebody does something. The city has to know about this problem.”
Family Says Mother Was “At The Wrong Place At The Wrong Time” When She Died
Neighbors described the encampment as a “drive-thru for drugs” due to it being in a cul-de-sac. Although they have called the city about the issue many times, they have made no progress on fixing it.
One of the victim’s daughters, Amely Becerra, spoke with KTLA about the tragedy. “My sister, she called to tell us that she found our mom dead,” said Becerra. “It devastated us. We didn’t understand how it happened.”
Her daughter wanted the world to know that her mother wasn’t a drug addict. She was an Army veteran and a caring mother. “I want people to know she wasn’t a homeless drug addict, because that’s not true,” she added. “Some people are coming to that conclusion and that’s not fair. She was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
The family had set up a GoFundMe in memory of Barajas. It managed to raise over $15,000.