Medical Examiner: Death of college student found in Edgewater ditch "accidental"

Courtesy photo/Facebook profile.

The Dec. 22 death of Jonathan R. Novenski, 18, of Edgewater, whose body was found in a ditch in front of his family's home, has been ruled "accidental" by the Volusia Counry Medical Examiner.

EDGEWATER -- The Dec. 22 death of 18-year-old Daytona State College student Jonathan R. Novenski, found dead in a ditch in front of his family's home after a party, has been ruled "accidental" by the Volusia County Medical Examiner's Office.

Toxicology tests that came back from an autopsy showed Novenski died of alcohol and OxyContin poisoning, the Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Wednesday.

Novenski was found dead in in a ditch in front of his father's Needle Palm Drive home this morning by a passerby, Edgewater police said. The body was spotted by a person walking by at 7 a.m., police said. Foul play was not suspected at the time, with police believing he might have died as a result of an accidental overdose of some kind while at a house party hours earlier.

Police said he was dropped off at his home by a friend after a Monday night party at another friend's home in the Florida Shores subdivision.

Novenski was a student at Daytona State College, who enjoyed surfing, according to his profile on Facebook.