Man with bags of drugs in his mouth dies after being detained at suspected drug house, deputies say

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The Volusia Sheriff’s Office Major Case Unit is investigating the death of a man who was being detained at a suspected drug house.

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According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were executing a drug-related search warrant in the 800 block of Clara Avenue in DeLand at approximately 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, after an undercover investigation led to multiple drug sales from a home there.

Deputies say 54-year-old Cornell McKinney was among five people in the home who were detained and seated outside as the investigation continued.

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According to the sheriff’s office, McKinney did not respond to detectives’ attempts to gather his information, and they began to suspect that he might be trying to hide or swallow drugs.

The detectives said they asked McKinney multiple times to open his mouth and spit out whatever he was chewing on, but he refused.

Deputies say they called medics from the DeLand Fire Department to assist them, but McKinney still refused to cooperate and eventually became unresponsive.

According to the sheriff’s office, fire personnel began administering life-saving measures on McKinney and recovered three plastic baggies from his mouth and throat.

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Deputies say two of the baggies contained suspected heroin or fentanyl and crack cocaine.

McKinney was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead there. His family has since been notified.

The sheriff’s office Major Case Unit is now conducting a “thorough” investigation into McKinney’s death, deputies said.

It will be up to the Medical Examiner’s office to determine the official cause of death, pending completion of an autopsy.

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DeLand code enforcement also responded to the home and posted notices deeming it unsafe for occupancy, deputies said.

According to jail records, McKinney had a history of nine previous arrests in Volusia County dating back to 2012 for drug possession or sales, grand theft, and violating his probation.

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