Cory Barron: Drunk Fan Who Died At Jason Aldean Concert Likely Fell Into Garbage Chute

Cory Barron was found dead in a landfill after going missing at a Jason Aldean concert, and police now think the intoxicated 22-year-old may have fallen into a garbage chute at Progressive Field.

Barron was found in a Lorain County landfill on Tuesday after going missing at the concert on Friday. Cleveland police said they are investigating whether Cory may have accidentally fallen into a trash collection area at the stadium. A police report cites a friend who said that Cory Barron was “extremely intoxicated” during the concert.

Cory’s brother, Clay Barron, released a statement Tuesday contending that his brother was incapacitated. He also suggested that if Cory did fall down a garbage chute, it may not have been an accident.

Barron wrote on Facebook:

Despite the news reports and strangers opinions, we know Cory and his actions better than anyone in this world. There is no denying the fact that Cory was consuming alcohol at this concert, most people were, including myself. But I just want to make it clear that Cory was still a functioning young man with a clear enough head to walk a young lady back to her seat to her friends. He was functioning enough to verbally tell that group that he was going back to his section to meet his brother, sister, and friends. While I have no doubt that police are doing everything in their power to come to a conclusion, I can confidently say that my family and I do not believe that, if Cory fell down a trash chute, he did it consciously, willingly, or as a result of being intoxicated. As our family continues to grieve, we would appreciate if you could respect Cory for the man he was rather than making premature assumptions.

The concert was a problem for police. The Ohio Department of Public Safety reported that undercover agents arrested 35 people for alcohol-related violations.

“Definitely the concert venues is where we end up getting our numbers, alcohol-related arrests,” said Greg Croft, an agent who was patrolling the concert.

Croft said a majority of the arrests were for underage drinking from the young and rowdy crowd.

“Sometimes people don’t always make the most responsible decisions at those concerts,” added Croft.

But Croft added that undercover agents had no contact with Cory Barron on Friday, and details of how he died are still unknown.

Barron is not the first fan to die at Progressive Field, an investigation from the Cleveland Plain Dealer found. Four years ago, 54-year-old Douglas Johnson was killed at a Cleveland Indians game when a 400-pound inflatable slide collapsed onto him. Johnson initially suffered three broken bones in his back, but died nine days later when his injuries led to a pulmonary embolism.

Johnson’s family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Indians, which was later settled for an undisclosed sum.

The Lorain County medical examiner is still trying to determine the cause of death for Cory Barron. Police said the dumpster he was found in was accessible from a fifth-level garbage chute near Barron’s seat at the concert.