Lil Jon lost his son, Nathan Smith, to drowning while under the influence of psilocybin mushrooms, according to new autopsy results.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner determined Smith’s death was accidental after his body was recovered from a retention pond near his Milton, Georgia, home on February 6th. Smith, who performed as DJ Young Slade, was 27 years old when he disappeared from his residence on February 3 under what police called “unusual circumstances.” The Hip-Hop producer and NYU graduate had been missing for three days before divers found his body in Mayfield Park. The medical examiner’s report confirmed drowning in the setting of psilocybin use as the official cause of death. Blood samples tested positive for psilocybin, the active compound found in hallucinogenic mushrooms, according to the autopsy. Police said Smith “ran out of his house and has been missing since” after leaving on foot without his phone.
The search expanded to include the pond near Smith’s home after initial efforts failed to locate him. Cherokee County Fire Department divers recovered the body at approximately 11:53 A.M. on February 6, with water-immersion wrinkling noted on his hands.
Lil Jon released a statement calling Nathan “the kindest human being you would ever meet” and praised his son’s talents as a music producer and artist. The rapper said Nathan was “immensely caring, thoughtful, polite, passionate and warmhearted” in his tribute to his only child.