Found Deceased LA - Nathan Millard, 42, GA resident on business trip in Baton Rouge, last seen leaving pub, phone found, debit card used, 23 Feb 2023

[imstilla.grandma]

The Georgia man who vanished in Baton Rouge last month likely died of a drug overdose in a home days before his body was dumped in a deserted lot, Baton Rouge police said Monday.

Derrick Perkins, 45, was arrested Monday on a count of unlawful disposal of remains and other counts. Arrest documents say that, at some point on the night Nathan Millard disappeared, he and an unidentified man and woman met with a known drug dealer called "Stanka" — later identified as Perkins — and rode with him to a convenience store.

Afterward, Millard and Perkins went back to the car and drove to a house in the 500 block of Lorri Burgess Avenue, where they took drugs and Millard accidentally overdosed, an affidavit says.

Missing Georgia man likely died of overdose in a home before his body was dumped, police say

The Georgia man who vanished in Baton Rouge last month likely died of a drug overdose in a home days before his body was dumped in a deserted lot, Baton

www.theadvocate.com

 

[LayzeeDayzee]

I wonder how Perkins obtained the pin number for the ATM card?

Great timeline @imstilla.grandma

According to this very detailed news article, it wasn't a Debit Card, it was NM's Credit Card that was used:

Perkins is then alleged to have wrapped him in the rug. At around 11 a.m. Thursday morning, March 23, the affidavit states a man identified as Perkins used Millard's credit card at a gas mart, about a mile from the Circle K they stopped at several hours earlier.

Affidavit details what happened to missing Georgia man after his disappearance from Baton Rouge bar

 

[Beth11311]

I'm very sad that his life ended this way. As a recovering addict, I remember putting myself into the same situations, and I am grateful for surviving them. I don't know his full story about his possible issues with drugs, nor do I need to, but I hope that he is in peace, and I hope to heaven that his loved ones can find some kind of peace, as well. A tragic loss.

Same, grateful to still be alive. There but by the grace of god do I….

 

[insearchoflight]

According to this very detailed news article, it wasn't a Debit Card, it was NM's Credit Card that was used:



Affidavit details what happened to missing Georgia man after his disappearance from Baton Rouge bar

How beyond heartbreaking for his family left to absorb this information

 

[Knox]

How beyond heartbreaking for his family left to absorb this information

It really is, I'm so sorry for their loss. Even more, that the circumstances are all so public for his children.

 

[iluvmua]

Is it possible that he was so drunk that he didn't realize what he was taking?

 

[KooshBall]

It's amazing that police were able to piece together the whole night and exactly what happened. I can't believe the guy had him in his trunk for a few days, just so cold hearted. They could have called 911 and just took off before help arrived, at least given him a chance of surviving.

 

[ifindedout]

This alarming report posted MAR 12, 2023
When seeing this report, my first thought was of Nathan being seen at the Chevron Gas Station.

Addictive Gas Station Heroin disguised as a herbal supplement
Cost $30. We were told NM withdrew nominal amounts of cash.

Thankful the arrest of Perkins indicates Law Enforcement is conducting a good investigation.

Wiki on tianeptine:

Tianeptine - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[mpnola]

I had not heard of blue magic. So I googled and an article about him came up. Sounds like this could be next on the rise, so im glad I now know.

What is ‘blue magic’? Advocate explains dangers around drug Nathan Millard allegedly overdosed and died from

Baton Rouge Police detailed new information about the circumstances surrounding the death of Nathan Millard.

www.wafb.com

 

[moonrise]

I keep wondering if they'll be able to determine:

a) if he took any drugs willingly, or
b) if someone perhaps slipped something into his drink, or otherwise forced him to take something, or
c) if there was a combination of the two (i.e. he took something willingly, but it was laced with something else without his knowledge).

Can they tell the difference? (And obviously I don't know a thing about illegal substances.)

In the meantime, it seems that the the police are mainly going by word-of-mouth from the people he was allegedly doing drugs with ... and, of course, those people would be saying ANYTHING to cover their behinds if they DID purposely do something to him. It's so sad and upsetting that some people on social media have been dragging his name through the mud when it's possible that things happened VERY differently.

I hope the absolute truth can be found, and that if anyone did purposely harm him, that they're brought to justice.

Prayers for his wife, children, and all who loved him. Regardless of what happened, this has got to be incredibly difficult for them. I can't even begin to imagine the roller coaster of emotions they're dealing with right now. It just breaks my heart.

(All MOO.)

... tried to edit this for clarity, but the website seems to be blinking out ... hope it makes sense! ...

 

[ch_13]

I keep wondering if they'll be able to determine:

a) if he took any drugs willingly, or
b) if someone perhaps slipped something into his drink, or otherwise forced him to take something, or
c) if there was a combination of the two (i.e. he took something willingly, but it was laced with something else without his knowledge).

Can they tell the difference?

Regarding a), there's the testimony of the bus station security guard who tried to get Millard to take an Uber back to his hotel. The guard said that Millard told them he was "looking for something to make him feel better," and it doesn't seem like the guard would have any reason to lie. Additionally, he seemed to be moving around quite freely and without any coercion (including in video we saw) in the company of another man. It's hard to imagine what they were doing together if not trying to score drugs.

As for the other two, b) is at least a possibility although IMO not a very likely scenario. On the other hand, I think c) is quite probable since they found fentanyl in his system.

Edit - I want to make clear I'm not looking to disparage Millard or cast aspersions on him. He didn't deserve what happened to him. I just think the most likely scenario is that he was looking for a fix and got in over his head.

 

[everybodhi]

Is it possible that he was so drunk that he didn't realize what he was taking?

Even completely sober no one ever knows what they’re getting when they ingest street drugs.

 

[AliceInPain]

I think he was really drunk as well, since we know alcohol was his preferred "drug" of choice, as was mine.
I smoked crack once when I was drunk! I didn't even know until the day after. And I totally hate drugs...
But we don't know if that's something he occasionally did, it hasn't been mentioned.
The latest details are so heartbreaking, I hope his loved ones and especially his sons are staying away from the internet for a while... =*(

 

[everybodhi]

I had not heard of blue magic. So I googled and an article about him came up. Sounds like this could be next on the rise, so im glad I now know.

What is ‘blue magic’? Advocate explains dangers around drug Nathan Millard allegedly overdosed and died from

Baton Rouge Police detailed new information about the circumstances surrounding the death of Nathan Millard.

www.wafb.com

I had never heard of it either and I was a young adult in the 70’s and 80’s who was pretty well informed about drugs.

From your link:
Popularized in the 1970′s and 80′s, blue magic is considered one of the purest forms of heroin, and when mixed with a chemical, it turns into a shade of blue.

 

[Stunned]

I grew up in Miami in the 70s and had many different drugs at my disposal. Stuck with pot and qualudes. I had never heard of this so I asked my brother, he is an addict of 40 years, been clean for 10 months. He got very animated talking about this one, but he was very wary of it at the same time.

 

[AliceInPain]

I grew up in Miami in the 70s and had many different drugs at my disposal. Stuck with pot and qualudes. I had never heard of this so I asked my brother, he is an addict of 40 years, been clean for 10 months. He got very animated talking about this one, but he was very wary of it at the same time.

Send my good luck and best wishes to your brother!
My big brother has been (somewhat) clean for ten years and he's the reason I hate drugs so much.

 

[threesevenninefour]

Drug addiction doesn’t discriminate. I’ve seen individuals from every race, gender, income level, and familial situation with alcohol/drug addiction issues throughout the years. Of course there are genetic predispositions and situational issues that make one more likely to develop an addiction but I think sometimes people can’t believe that certain people have one because they don’t fit a certain “look.” Addiction is a lifelong struggle, even people who are clean for years can relapse in a second and spiral out of control again. That’s why having a good support system is so important but even that isn’t enough sometimes. Unfortunately, I am struggling with this with some close loved ones right now and it’s not pretty.

My heart breaks at the horrific way that Mr. Millard’s story ended and I feel for his entire family as they move forward. He was clearly extremely loved and will be missed dearly.

 

[Cedars]

IMO, he was given a dosage that a regular user could have handled, but because he was a new or limited user, his body couldn't.

The only thing I can discern in researching 'Blue Magic', is that it's heroin in pill form, no need to inject it. So that might be why it was appealing.

I would expect anything like that to be laced with fentanyl these days, since pure heroin is expensive and hard to obtain, whereas fentanyl is cheap and a little goes a long way. I only know this from reading news about endless fentanyl-caused deaths in my region.

The report says it appears Narcan was administered: this is supposed to prevent people from overdosing. So, that would strongly indicate the OD wasn't caused intentionally. However, it is sometimes only a temporary fix, buying time to get the victim to hospital.

I am very surprised anyone at all knowledgeable about drugs, would choose heroin in his circumstances. He had a business meeting in a few hours. Even if he hadn't OD'd, he might have been unfit to attend his meeting, as it makes the user space out and just want to lie around for hours. Most users take heroin at home, when they have no pressure and lots of time.

More typically, people on a night out use cocaine in some form. It has the opposite effect, makes them more awake, energetic, they can function and interact with people. It allows them to go without sleep.

The Affective and Neural Correlates of Heroin versus Cocaine Use in Addiction Are Influenced by Environmental Setting But in Opposite Directions

Previous studies have shown that individuals with heroin and cocaine addiction prefer to use these drugs in distinct settings: mostly at home in the case of heroin and mostly outside the home in the case of cocaine. Here we investigated whether the context would modulate the affective and neural...

www.jneurosci.org

However, street cocaine can also be laced with fentanyl.

From all this, IMO he knew almost nothing about drugs, and just wanted to take a walk on the wild side, while he was in a strange city, and believed no one would ever know.

So sorry for this outcome, for everyone affected.

JMO

ETA: I'm assuming he paid for the drugs in advance, so that's why I use the words about 'choosing'. Normal heroin costs about 3x as much as cocaine, and something offered as 'Blue Magic' would be sold as 'top of the line'. Though he was probably being scammed.

How Much Does Cocaine Cost On The Street? - Spring Hill Recovery

Learn the cost of cocaine on the street, the factors that affect the price, and how COVID-19 has impacted street costs.

springhillrecovery.com

 

[Teche]

It's amazing that police were able to piece together the whole night and exactly what happened. I can't believe the guy had him in his trunk for a few days, just so cold hearted. They could have called 911 and just took off before help arrived, at least given him a chance of surviving.

BR LE did a great job of putting the puzzle pieces together.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Has BRPD stated that the 'blue magic' Millard consumed was supposed to be heroin? Historically 'blue magic' was marketed as a purer form of heroin, but it appears that in recent years 'blue magic' has also been used to refer to fake oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl and heroin, so without the toxicology reports, I don't think we can conclusively say whether Nathan believed the 'blue magic' was heroin or oxycodone.

Defendant in “Blue Magic” State Grand Jury case receives 20 years after pleading guilty to Trafficking of Counterfeit Pills Containing Heroin and Fentanyl, which involved an overdose death - South Carolina Attorney General