COLUMBIA, MO. -- Columbia police said a unconscious man found in a downtown restaurant bathroom died at the hospital from a suspected drug overdose.
Paramedics responded to the Jimmy John’s Sandwich Shop, next door to Buchroeder’s Jewelry Store, and found an unidentified 25-year-old white man in cardiac arrest around 3 a.m.
The man was taken to Boone Hospital Center where he was pronounced dead an hour later.
Police said drug related items were found near the man and investigators are looking into a possible overdose.
There is no evidence of foul play.
“We found some drug paraphernalia in the bathroom with this person that led the uniform officers to believe that that played a part in his death,” Columbia Police Detective Jeff Westbrook said.
Regular customers of the Downtown Columbia Jimmy John’s were surprised that the man died in the restaurant’s bathroom during the early morning hours.
“It’s very upsetting, actually due to this community and the town," Restaurant customer Kelly Christensen said. "I don’t really know how to take it, actually, being in a town where that can happen."
“It’s very shocking and kind of scary," Restaurant customer Tori Minks said.
Police said the man, whose name has not been released, is not a University of Missouri student.
Police said his family has not yet been notified.
The dead man was a former employee of that same Jimmy John's Sandwich Shop several years ago.
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