Novelist Paul Auster’s son Daniel Auster dies of overdose after arrest in baby daughter’s murder

Daniel Auster, son of The New York Times bestselling author Paul Auster, died of a drug overdose on Tuesday, April 26, per multiple reports.

According to several reports, including The New York Post, Daniel Auster’s overdose was considered accidental by law enforcement, because he was found with more drugs on him and his dosage seemed to be the same as the amount he usually consumed.

Daniel Auster had a troubled past

The 44-year-old DJ and photographer has had a turbulent history with substance abuse. Auster’s parents, novelist Paul Auster and author and translator, Lydia Davis, divorced in 1978. As a teen, Daniel Auster began frequent visits to New York City nightclubs and also became a heavy user of drugs, per a report from The New Yorker.

In 1996, at the age of 18, Auster was present at the apartment where drug dealer Andre ‘Angel’ Melendez was killed by his roommate Robert Riggs and ‘Club Kid Killer’ Michael Alig, an ex-nightclub promoter. Auster later pleaded guilty to having stolen $3000 of Melendez’s money and was given 5 years of probation.

On November 1, 2021, the New York City Police Department answered a 911 call from Auster’s Brooklyn residence where Ruby was found unresponsive. She was rushed to the Methodist Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

While she did not have injuries, her toxicology report suggested that she died from a fentanyl and heroin overdose. It is not clear how the baby ingested the drugs, as per the police.

Assistant District Attorney Tien Tran revealed that as per Auster, he injected heroin and went to take a nap with his daughter by his side and her mother at work. When he woke up, he found her unresponsive. His lawyer, James Godfrey, told The New York Times that his client was recently sober and was in drug treatment.

“This case is painfully tragic, and Mr Auster remains devastated over the loss of his beloved daughter Ruby,” Godfrey said.

“Substance use disorder is an issue that countless families reel from each year, and we caution the public to refrain from making any rush to judgment.”

On April 15, Daniel Auster was arrested under manslaughter and negligent homicide charges for the death of his 10-month-old daughter, Ruby, who died of a drug overdose on November 1, 2021.

Auster was out on bail at the time of his death. Not much else is known about the investigation on his death at the time of writing this piece.