A state medical examiner has determined a Noble couple, found dead in their residence on Labor Day 2002, died of an accidental drug overdose.

Investigators conducted additional tests after preliminary autopsy reports did not explain how Jonathan Dewayne Bailey, 34, and his 29-year-old wife Jennifer Irene died almost simultaneously, Walker County Coroner Dewayne Wilson said.

Samples were forwarded from Summerville to the state’s crime main lab in Atlanta for further testing. The subsequent battery of tests, coupled with a backlog at the crime lab, prolonged the investigation, authorities said.

Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said his department has closed the case.

According to Georgia Chief Assistant Medical Examiner Mark A. Koponen’s autopsy reports, Jonathan Bailey died of “multidrug intoxication.” His blood tested positive for methadone, cyclobenzaprine (a prescription muscle relaxer), alprazolam (a prescription anti-anxiety drug) and ethanol.

His wife died of “acute drug intoxication.” Her blood tested positive for methadone and alprazolam, the report said.

The coroner said investigators have classified the death as accidental because neither victim consumed a large enough quantity of one or two drugs to be consistent with an intentional overdose.

Authorities booked the Baileys into the Walker jail the month before their deaths. They were charged with possession, manufacturing and/or distribution of a controlled substance, according to Sheriff’s Department arrest reports.

The Baileys wed in July, two months before their death, authorities said