The 29-year-old nurse found dead in December at a University of Michigan hospital overdosed on drugs she checked out for her patients, police confirmed Friday.



Police say the 29-year-old nurse found dead in the old Mott Hospital died from an overdose from drugs meant for patients.

An autopsy report obtained by The Ann Arbor News revealed Carla Delvecchio died from a mix of the opiate fentanyl and the benzodiazepine midazolam, which are frequently used together to sedate patients before surgeries.

U-M police said Friday that there was a bag of fentanyl that had been checked out for a patient found with Delvecchio.

Police also said she had checked out both fentanyl and midazolam throughout her shift and that the medications were frequently used in her wing of the hospital.

Delvecchio was a nurse in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, according to her obituary. She was found dead around 9:15 a.m. Dec. 6 in a locked bathroom at the Neuroscience Hospital, the former location of the old Mott Hospital, located at 1500 East Medical Center Drive in Ann Arbor.

The manner of death was ruled "apparently accidental," according to the autopsy report.

According to the autopsy, a syringe was also found in the bathroom and there were multiple needle marks on various parts of the body.

"Ms. Delvecchio’s death was truly tragic and underscores the need for us to identify those who may be abusing drugs or alcohol and offer rehabilitation support as appropriate," Michael Steigmeyer, a spokesman for the University of Michigan Health System, wrote in an email to The Ann Arbor News.

Using any drugs is a violation of the health system's policies.

"Any staff member who is working while impaired or misusing substances not only violates the university’s policy, but places our patients and our colleagues at risk," Steigmeyer said in the email. "The value underlying these policies is the need to act promptly for the safety of our patients and the health and well-being of our employees."

Steigmeyer said there are resources available to U-M Health System employees if they believe they are at risk for the misuse or abuse of alcohol or other drugs. The resources are provided by the U-M Health System Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at http://eap.med.umich.edu.

Delvecchio was a native of Rochester, N.Y. Her obituary said she lived most recently in Waterford. Police say she had an apartment in Westland.

John Counts covers crime and breaking news for The Ann Arbor News. He can be reached at johncounts@mlive.com or you can follow him on Twitter. Find all Washtenaw County crime stories here.