No indications of foul play in Garrett Gomez's death
Foul play is not suspected in the death of ex-jockey Garrett Gomez at a Tucson-area casino and hotel on Wednesday, the attorney general of the tribe that runs the casino said on Friday.
Alfred Urbina, the top law official of the Pascua Yaqui tribe, confirmed that he told the Associated Press that Gomez, 44, was found unconscious on the floor of a hotel room at the tribe’s Casino Del Sol Resort and Casino and was pronounced dead at the scene. Toxicology tests are expected to be completed in the next several weeks, and an official cause of death has yet to be determined.
The casino resort is located southwest of the Tucson city center. Friends of Gomez have said that the rider moved to Tucson several years ago after splitting with his second wife. He was born in the city.
Gomez, who won nearly 4,000 races in his career and was twice voted the Eclipse Award champion jockey, struggled with drug and alcohol problems during his career. He had not ridden since late 2013, the same year that he had told the California Horse Racing Board that he was seeking treatment for alcoholism. He officially announced his retirement in the summer of 2015.
Gomez is survived by two children from his first marriage and two children from his second. Funeral arrangements were not yet known on Friday afternoon.