How did Josh Waring die? Cause of 'RHOC' alum Lauri Peterson's son's tragic end revealed
ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: Lauri Peterson's son Josh Waring's cause of death has been determined. The Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department has ruled it an accident, attributing it to the use of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and olanzapine (an antipsychotic that is generally used to treat schizophrenia), as reported by TMZ.
Josh died a few days after being released from prison for violating his parole. He was 35. It appears he overdosed on drugs and died in Garden Grove. 'The Real Housewives of Orange County' member revealed Josh's death on March 31, when he was 35. The news was shared in a message posted on her Instagram account on April 6. Lauri had earlier written, "It is with a shattered heart that I write this post to let you know that my sweet Josh left this earth Easter Sunday."
What happened to Josh Waring's daughter?
In addition to pictures of Josh and his daughter Kennady, the poignant carousel post also featured a photo of Josh and Lauri from her 2007 wedding. The former Bravo star added in the caption, "No one can ever prepare you for this feeling of such deep loss."
Josh had "ought every single day for most of his adult life, for his life," according to Lauri, who said, "this past Sunday, the challenge was too great." She added, "He received the most joy, pride and purpose through his daughter Kennady and watching her grow and thrive over the years."
While Josh and his then-wife continued to face their challenges, the former reality TV star legally adopted her granddaughter in 2015, three years after Kennady was born in 2012. In October 2015, Lauri said on Bravo's The Daily Dish, "Not everyone understands those suffering from substance abuse disorder, but I am forever grateful for your understanding and the impact you made on his life."
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'RHOC' alum Lauri Peterson opened up about her son Josh Waring's struggle
In 2019, Lauri spoke candidly about Josh's struggle with addiction on 'Watch What Happens Live'. "He's struggling." About her son, she told Andy Cohen, "It's not good. We're in contact, but it's really bad. And, at this point, our government hasn't figured out how to handle addiction. And until they figure out how to treat it like an illness instead of criminalizing it, it's never going to change."
Why was Josh Waring arrested?
After multiple run-ins with the law over the previous ten years, Josh became central to the Orange County jail inmate phone controversy, which led to his release and a substantial payout from county officials. Josh was sentenced to 90 days in jail on February 21 for violating the conditions of his release. According to court documents, Josh was released on March 29 and was required to contact probation authorities by April 1, but he failed to do so. As a result, probation officers requested an arrest warrant for him on April 4.
According to the Orange Police Department, Josh—who had previously been convicted in connection with a gunshot incident in Costa Mesa—was taken into custody on February 14 and charged with striking a security guard in the chest at Chapman Global Medical Center. Josh was being escorted out of the medical center when police were called to the hospital at 5:45 am that day concerning the assault.
According to authorities, he was also wanted on a warrant for violating post-release supervision. Court documents reveal that on February 21, he admitted to breaking the terms of his post-release supervision and was sentenced to 90 days in prison. Josh had already violated his post-release monitoring once before. When he last appeared in court on November 7 for a hearing about revocation, he received a 90-day prison term.
Josh was released on December 12 but failed to report to his probation officer. In January of that year, he was considered a vagrant in the San Juan Capistrano area, leading to an arrest warrant being issued for him. Court records from probation authorities indicate that on July 25 of the previous year, Josh left the water running in a room at the Fountain Valley Motel 6, causing damage to the room below.
Josh looked "confused and had slurred speech" when cops approached him, according to probation authorities. While the shower was running, police observed drug paraphernalia and Narcan in the room. According to probation officials, Josh was taken to a nearby hospital. On August 7, he tested positive for methamphetamine, hydrocodone, and fentanyl, and he also failed to have a GPS tracker installed as required by his probation.
In September 2022, Josh entered a plea of guilty to several misdemeanor charges, including one count of possessing a stun gun with a prior conviction, three counts of possessing a controlled substance, and one count of possessing a controlled substance without a prescription. Josh received credit for the 106 days he spent in custody. According to Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Carrie Braun, Josh was found with methamphetamine and fentanyl.
According to Orange County sheriff's officials, Josh and a woman were found in a car in a parking lot behind a store on Del Obispo and Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on January 6, 2022. As a parolee, he was searched by deputies, who discovered multiple baggies of fentanyl on him, according to Carrie Braun.
In January 2022, Josh was sentenced to 90 days in prison after pleading guilty to possession of a prohibited drug. As part of his plea agreement, misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and lying to an officer were dropped. In a separate case, misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and altering markings on an imitation firearm or device were dismissed. Josh was initially taken into custody in Huntington Beach in June 2020.
In September of that same year, Josh was charged with misdemeanor counts of drug paraphernalia, possession of a prohibited substance (fentanyl), and lying to an officer. According to Orange County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Todd Hylton, Josh was arrested again on May 8, 2021, near Ridge Route Drive and Overlake in Lake Forest. Police had stopped a rental car that had been taken from John Wayne Airport.
According to Todd, Josh, who was seated in the passenger's seat, was charged with possessing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and drug paraphernalia that was discovered in the glove box of the vehicle. In March 2020, Josh entered a guilty plea to two charges of assault with force likely to cause serious bodily injury and one count of assault with a handgun and causing police to pursue him, all of which were felonies.
Additionally, he acknowledged committing a single misdemeanor hit-and-run with property damage and violence. Josh also settled a different case, entering a guilty plea to two felonies: fraudulent personation and possession of methamphetamine for sale.
He was initially charged with three counts of attempted murder and, as part of a sentence enhancement, attempted premeditated murder for shooting 35-year-old Daniel Lopez outside a Costa Mesa residence on June 20, 2016. The drive-by attack did not result in injuries to the other two people present.
At the time of his plea agreement, Josh faced a potential sentence of 65 years to life in prison. Instead, he was given a sentence of time served in jail while awaiting trial. After the plea agreement, his mother told reporters that her son intended to become a lawyer.
Josh and the county settled their federal case in September 2021 for $595,000. In the complaint, Josh claimed that the sheriff's officers had secretly recorded his phone conversations while he was being held and that they had also set him up for an assault.
