Lamar Odom's Collapse at Love Ranch: The Night Everything Changed
How a former NBA star's weekend at a Nevada brothel ended in a life-threatening overdose that left doctors stunned
On Tuesday, October 13, 2015, two women found Lamar Odom unconscious in his private suite at Dennis Hof's Love Ranch, a legal brothel located approximately 75 miles northwest of Las Vegas in Crystal, Nevada. The 911 call that followed set in motion a medical emergency that would leave the 35-year-old former NBA star fighting for his life.
Odom had arrived at the brothel three days earlier, on Saturday, October 10, after calling ahead to arrange transportation from his Las Vegas home. According to staff accounts, he settled into a three-room private suite and selected two women—Ryder Cherry and Monica Monroe, both described as petite blondes—to spend the weekend with him. His stay included meals prepared by brothel staff: steak and potatoes on his first night, more of the same the following evening, and an order of KFC for the house on Sunday afternoon.
When discovered unconscious on Tuesday afternoon, Odom was immediately transported to a Nevada hospital. The severity of his condition became apparent in the days that followed. According to Odom's own later accounts, he suffered 12 strokes and 6 heart attacks as a result of the overdose—a medical catastrophe that doctors managed to reverse.
Investigators from the Nye County Sheriff's Office launched an immediate inquiry into how Odom came into contact with the drugs believed responsible for his collapse. According to search warrant records obtained by the Associated Press, authorities suspected cocaine and other drugs were involved. During the 911 call, one of the women reported that Odom had admitted to her that he had used cocaine. Detective Michael Eisenloffel of the Nye County Sheriff's Office later testified before Judge Robert Lane of the Fifth Judicial District that Odom was under the influence of a controlled substance.
Dennis Hof, the 69-year-old brothel owner, maintained a zero-tolerance drug policy at Love Ranch and stated that no drugs had been observed on the premises. He claimed Odom had arrived simply "to have a good time," leaving open the question of whether the drugs had been brought in by Odom himself or acquired through another means.
