DEATH MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AN OVERDOSE

David Torres' family was certain he should not have been included on the
list of people suspected of dying of a drug overdose this weekend.

"There was no doubt in my mind that he died because he was ill and not of a
drug overdose," said Torres' brother, Teodoro.

Preliminary toxicology tests indicated Torres had opiates in his system,
but it could be connected to medication he was taking for a medical
condition, the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office reported Tuesday.

The office said 18 people are suspected of dying of drug overdoses,
possibly from a combination of cocaine and opiates. Dozens of people called
the Torres residence wondering why the "nice guy" who helped take care of
his disabled mother was suspected of overdosing, Teodoro Torres said.

"The only thing we could come up with was that he was added because he died
at the same time the other people died," he said. "That was wrong of them.
Without examining him, they went ahead and put him on the list."

The 39-year-old, who died Sunday, was on dialysis because he had chronic
kidney failure and diabetes, his brother said. His right arm was amputated
about three years ago because of an infection related to his diabetes. But
despite his illnesses, he was careful about administering his own medicine,
Teodoro Torres said.

"Everybody knew my brother and how much he tried to take care of himself
and couldn't believe he would have overdosed," he said.

David Torres kept to himself and stayed at home most of the time to care
for his mother, his brother said. His brothers and sisters would accompany
him to run errands when he left the house.

"He was a nice guy and I couldn't believe what happened," said Edward
Cerda, a neighbor.