Former U.S. Olympic sprinter Pettigrew found dead in car

Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C.

Former Olympian Antonio Pettigrew, a sprinter stripped of a gold medal after admitting to doping, was found dead in the backseat of his locked car early Tuesday.

Authorities said they are unsure if his death was accidental or a suicide.

Chatham County Sheriff’s Maj. Gary Blankenship said Pettigrew’s car was found parked to the side of a bridge. Blankenship said there was evidence that the 42-year-old Pettigrew had taken sleeping pills and there was no sign of foul play.

Pettigrew’s death was confirmed by the University of North Carolina, where he was an assistant track coach. His body has been taken to Chapel Hill for an autopsy. Toxicology results aren’t expected back for at least four weeks.

Pettigrew’s wife reported him missing from their home in Apex, located just outside of Raleigh in Wake County, a little after midnight early Tuesday morning, according to Wake Country Sheriff spokeswoman Phyllis Stephens.

Blankenship said two friends discovered Pettigrew’s car after retracing his route between home and the North Carolina campus in Chapel Hill, where he had spent four seasons.

Authorities in Chatham County — located just south of the “Triangle” region of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill — responded to a call around 3:15 a.m. and entered the car before pronouncing Pettigrew dead at the scene.

At North Carolina, Pettigrew focused on sprints, hurdle and relays. He graduated in 1993 from St. Augustine’s in Raleigh, where he was an all-American and won four NCAA Division II championships in the 400-meter dash.