Coroner: MSU student died of cocaine, heroin overdose

STARKVILLE, Miss. | The Mississippi State University student and Marian Catholic graduate found dead in an off-campus apartment more than a week ago died from a drug overdose, Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt said.

Hunt received toxicology results from the state medical examiner that showed Teresa Ann "Tess" Veal, 20, of Crete, died from an overdose of cocaine and heroin.

Veal was found unresponsive in an apartment shortly after 1 a.m. Feb. 4.

No foul play is suspected. Starkville police are investigating the case as a death, investigator Scotty Carrithers said. Police declined further comment.

It's unclear who placed the 911 call and how many people were in the apartment with Veal. Starkville Police Chief David Lindley on Feb. 6 said police are unsure whether she was visiting a friend or if she lived there.

Veal was an honors student and took Advanced Placement classes as an upperclassman at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights. Veal graduated from Marian in 2009.

"I remember Tess as being one of those students that always smiled a lot, was outgoing and positive all the time," Scott Bodnar, Veal's AP psychology teacher at Marian, has said. "She was a great student to have in the classroom."

Veal was a senior at Mississippi State and a member of Pi Beta Phi's Mississippi Gamma Chapter.

Jeanette Lach of The Times contributed to this report.