Beating or Fight Ruled Out as Causes of Businessman’s Death

A Camarillo businessman whose badly bruised body was found in a Thousand Oaks office building did not die of injuries resulting from a beating or fight, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.

The body of Richard Drayman, 36, vice president of Town & Country Mortgage Services, was found about 9 a.m. Sunday in a second-floor hallway at 2659 Townsgate Road.

Dr. Ronald O’Halloran, assistant medical examiner for Ventura County, performed an autopsy, which determined that Drayman was not beaten to death, said Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Gary Backman.

Drayman’s injuries included a cut on the bridge of his nose and minor scrapes on his forehead, stomach, hands and knees, Backman said.

“The medical examiner has told us that it is very likely those injuries resulted from a fall or series of falls,” he said.

Toxicology Report Due

On Sunday, the Sheriff’s Department was treating the death as a homicide, he said. Now, authorities are awaiting the results of a toxicologist’s report, which they believe will show that Drayman died from a drug overdose.

Drayman’s live-in girlfriend told investigators that he used cocaine, Backman said. Several people who saw Drayman or talked to him on the phone believed that he was under the influence of cocaine, he said.

The autopsy did not pinpoint the cause of Drayman’s death, “so we can’t rule out homicide,” Backman said. The toxicology report is expected to be completed in the next two weeks, he said.

Drayman’s body was found by “another professional person,” whom authorities refused to identify, Backman said. He said Drayman was wearing a sweat shirt and blue jeans that were soiled with oil and grease.

The case will remain open at least until investigators receive the toxicology report, which will indicate whether significant amounts of cocaine or other drugs were in Drayman’s system at the time of his death, Backman said.