Homeless man died of drugs, alcohol

BURLINGTON — An autopsy has determined that a homeless man found lying on a heating grate on a Burlington street in December died from a mixture of alcohol and prescription drugs.

Officials originally thought 56-year-old Paul O’Toole had died of hypothermia.

The Office of Vermont’s Chief Medical Examiner has determined that O’Toole died of a mix of alcohol and diazepam, a prescription drug known as Valium.

The death certificate says he did not have a prescription for the drug.Family and friends say O’Toole started living on the streets of Burlington three years ago.

They told the Burlington Free Press that O’Toole had never recovered from his wife’s death, drank heavily and struggled to stay sober and keep housing, family and friends.