The late Coffee County Mayor Judd Matheny’s April 2 death was caused by drugs present in his system, compounded by heart conditions, according to an autopsy report conducted by the Center for Forensic Medicine in Nashville.
The report, first obtained by The Tullahoma News, concluded that Matheny’s death was accidental, with the cause of death “ascribed to mixed cocaine, ethanol, mitragynine toxicity with hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease as a significant contributing factor.”
The toxicology report, according to the outlet, showed Matheny (pictured above) had 210 ng/ml of cocaine in his system, 45 mg/dl of ethanol, and 130 ng/ml of mitragynine, which is also known commercially as Kratom, at the time of his death.
“These were accompanied by the presence of several prescription drugs used to treat various medical conditions,” the outlet added. “The autopsy states that Matheny had moderate atherosclerosis (the buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances) on the coronary arteries, mild atherosclerosis of the aorta and hypertrophy in the left ventricle with cardiomegaly (enlarged heart).”
Matheny was found deceased by the Tullahoma Police Department on April 2 inside the backseat of his car parked in the driveway of his home.
Shortly into the investigation into the mayor’s death, authorities confirmed at the time that no foul play was suspected.
Matheny, 53, formerly served as a Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing District 47 for 16 years from 2002 to 2018. He was elected mayor of Coffee County on August 4, 2022.
Matheny also served in the Tennessee Army National Guard for eight years after earning his B.S. degree in criminal justice and political science.
The late mayor also pursued a career in law enforcement. After graduating from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy, Matheny was hired as a police officer in Baxter, Tennessee, where he worked as a K-9 officer and narcotics agent for four years.
Matheny was laid to rest on April 9.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
