The Georgia father-of-five, whose remains were found Monday in Louisiana, reportedly died of an accidental overdose — but how his body ended up in a rolled-up carpet in an empty lot remains a mystery.
The family of Nathan Millard, 42, said investigators told them Tuesday he likely died of an overdose, local CBS station WAFB reported.
Baton Rouge police said they do not suspect foul play, although Millard’s official cause of death is pending the completion of a full autopsy.
“There were no signs of internal or external trauma,” says Cpt. Kevin Heinz said this during a press conference on Tuesday.
However, police are still investigating how Millard’s body was dumped in a vacant lot in Baton Rouge – and why his remains were wrapped in plastic and rolled into a carpet.
Heinz said police believe Millard died at a different location and someone moved his body to the lot.
“There appears to be no foul play at this point,” Heinz said. “I know he was placed there, obviously by another individual. We would like to know who and why.”
Investigators previously said Millard’s debit card had been used by a person – possibly a homeless person – to withdraw money from multiple ATMs around the city. according to 11Alive.
His wallet and phone were found on the floor in a different location from his remains, Millard’s widow Amber said.
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Millard was visiting Baton Rouge to plot a future gig for his Conyers-based construction company. He had gone to a Louisiana State University basketball game and an Irish pub with a customer on the night of February 22.
He left the bar at around 11:30 pm only to return to his hotel room a short distance away, but was not heard from again the following morning.
Police revealed on Tuesday that Millard went to a Greyhound bus station about an hour after leaving the bar. A guard there offered to give him a ride or call the police, but he refused.
He didn’t seem to be in distress. She just felt like he was out of place,” Heinz said of the guard. “He declined that offer and left there on his own.”
Investigators were able to map Millard’s movements over the following hours through surveillance footage from local businesses in the city. He was last seen alive on camera around 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 23, the police chief said.
That same morning, Millard’s client called the police to request a welfare check on him at 9 a.m., when Millard failed to show up to their meeting and did not respond to messages.
His body was found more than a week later at around 3:30 a.m. on March 6, police said.
Millard is survived by his wife Amber, their 7-year-old daughter, two teenage sons from a previous marriage, and two teenage stepsons.
Amber said she last spoke to her husband when he FaceTimed her to show her the seats he and his client had secured for the LSU basketball game.
“It wasn’t something I ever thought would be my last call,” Amber said.
