The girlfriend of former Anheuser-Busch CEO August Busch IV died at his home after accidentally overdosing on the painkiller oxycodone, the St. Louis County medical examiner said Wednesday.

Adrienne Martin, 27, of St. Charles, was found dead on the morning of Dec. 19 at Busch’s sprawling estate in suburban St. Louis after spending the night at his home. He has said he woke up around 11 a.m. and tried to awaken Martin, but couldn’t.

Oxycodone is used to relieve moderate to severe pain, according to the National Institutes of Health. It is in a class of medications called opiate (narcotic) analgesics and works by changing the way the brain and nervous system respond to pain. It is commonly known by its brand name, OxyContin.

The Drug Enforcement Administration says abuse of Oxycodone has increased markedly in recent years.

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A 13-year-old upstate New York boy has died of an apparent overdose after taking the powerful prescription painkiller Oxycontin. A painkiller that is claiming more and more lives lately.

Police say Matthew J. Kappelmeier was found dead in the backyard of a friend’s house in Nedrow on Sunday, about 5 miles south of Syracuse. The friend called 911, and no foul play is suspected in the teenager’s death.

Sgt. Susan Lockyer says some of the boy’s friends told investigators that he had recently taken Oxycontin, a brand name of the drug also known as Oxycodone, also known as HillBilly Heroin. The powerful narcotic drug is used to treat ongoing moderate to severe pain. Police are trying to determine how the boy obtained the medication.

Kappelmeier was supposed to be entering eighth grade at Onondaga Central Junior-Senior High School. Another sad story where prescription pain killers were involved, and most likely could have been avoided.