Antonio Pettigrew, who was stripped of a 2000 Olympic 4x400m relay gold medal for doping, has died at the age of 42, and authorities said his death could have been accident or suicide.Pettigrew was found dead in the back seat of his car, Chatham County Sheriff’s Major Gary Blankenship said on Tuesday.
Blankenship said the car was locked and there was evidence that Pettigrew had taken sleeping pills, and there was no sign of foul play.
“Obviously we don’t know if it was intentionally or accidental at this point,” Blankenship said of the cause of death. “We might not ever know.”
Blankenship said two friends discovered Pettigrew’s car. They had retraced his route between his home and the University of North Carolina, where he was an assistant athletics coach.
“He appeared to be sleeping, but he was unresponsive to them,” Blankenship said. Authorities responding to their call shortly after 3 am entered the car and pronounced Pettigrew dead at the scene.
Blankenship said investigators will probably speak with Pettigrew’s family and friends to get an idea of his recent frame of mind.
Toxicology reports were expected to take at least four weeks. Pettigrew’s wife had reported him missing from their home on Monday.
Pettigrew, who won the 1991 400 metres world title in Tokyo, was a member of the 4x400 metres American relay team that won the gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
But the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped Pettigrew and his teammates - including legend Michael Johnson - of their medals after he admitted, during a trial against former coach Trevor Graham, to doping.
University of North Carolina athletics director Dick Baddour said the university was “deeply saddened” to learn of Pettigrew’s death.
“I was particularly impressed with the relationships he established with our student-athletes and the pride he took in representing the University of North Carolina,” Baddour said.
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