Coroner: Adrienne Snelling Died of Drug Overdose

The Lehigh County Coroner has ruled that Adrienne Snelling, wife of Republican political activist Charles Snelling, died of a drug overdose, according to a Morning Call report.

Coroner Scott Grim ruled Adrienne's death as a homicide, following his earlier ruling that Charles Snelling had committed suicide.

The findings back what family and friends reported after  in their Fogelsville home on March 29: that Charles Snelling had killed his wife and then himself to end their struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, which Adrienne had suffered for six years.

Both were 81.

The coroner had ruled early on that Charles Snelling , but the investigation had continued into his wife's death. 

Adrienne Snelling's drug overdose was from over-the-counter drugs mixed with drugs prescribed to her husband, according to the report. Grim told The Morning Call "one can only assume" that Charles Snelling had mixed the drugs that killed his wife.

In 2011, Charles Snelling wrote a poignant biographical column for the New York Times that described the reversal in the couple's caregiver roles during his wife's struggle with Alzheimer's. Their romance of more than 60 years began when Charles was a sophomore at  and Adrienne was a student at Cedar Crest College.