Louisville cheerleader died of heroin overdose

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A coroner says a drug overdose caused the death of a University of Louisville cheerleader in July.

Jefferson County Coroner Barbara Weakley-Jones told The Courier-Journal that 22-year-old Danielle Cogswell died of an overdose of heroin, amphetamines and Xanax.

University sports information director Kenny Klein said cheerleaders will now be required to undergo the same drug testing as other athletes.

Cogswell was found July 28 in Cardinal Towne, an off-campus student housing complex with ties to U of L.

Police said previously they were treating the death as a suspected overdose.

An associate athletic director for student life at U of L, Christine Simatacolos, said the circumstances of Cogswell's death and the coroner's report were saddening.

Cogswell was from Sammamish, Washington, and transferred to U of L from Arizona State last year.