ST. LOUIS — Medical personnel tried to revive former Missouri State Representative Cora Faith Walker with an opioid reversal drug as a precaution after she collapsed inside a downtown St. Louis hotel in March, but she died from natural causes, according to a final autopsy report obtained by the I-Team.
The 37-year-old was seen walking, and then collapsing inside the Live by Loews hotel in downtown St. Louis on March 11, just hours after attending a birthday party for St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones. She was also a member of St. Louis County Executive Sam Page’s administration.
The St. Louis Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Graham concluded she died from natural causes, specifically non-ischemic cardiomyopathy – a heart condition.
The toxicology report showed traces of naloxone, amphetamine, acetaminophen, sertraline and other chemicals were in her blood, and amphetamine, naloxone and sertraline were in her liver.
Naloxone is used to stop a person from overdosing.
“It was given as part of resuscitation,” Graham said. “Anytime you find someone collapsed in a hotel hallway, you always have to consider the possibility of an overdose given the climate and with Fentanyl being everywhere, so that is just a given.”
Walker had prescriptions for the amphetamine, acetaminophen and sertraline, Graham said.
Amphetamine is a stimulant that can be used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Acetaminophen is a pain medication that is sold under brand names like Tylenol. Sertraline is an antidepressant.
“They were present in therapeutic amounts,” he said.
The National Library of Medicine defines the condition as “a disease of the myocardium associated with mechanical or electrical dysfunction exhibiting inappropriate ventricular hypertrophy or dilatation. The causes are numerous, but an increasing number of nonischemic disorders are being recognized as genetic in cause.”
First elected in 2016 to represent the Missouri House's 74th District as a Democrat, she resigned in 2019 to take the job with Page's administration. Her county biography says she had overseen government relations, regulatory affairs and public policy operations.
Among other things, Walker served on a task force studying women's participation and advancement in the workforce. On behalf of Page, she had also commented on efforts to bring Afghan refugees to St. Louis. She also had worked on Medicaid expansion and health reform, the county biography said.