Police have arrested a suspect in the robbery of Avalon Bar owner Michael Conley but believe his death early yesterday morning was not murder and instead resulted from a fall, according to Cook County Sheriff’s Dept. press secretary Penny Mateck.

Conley, the 48-year-old former frontman of ‘80s hardcore punk band M.I.A whose Costa Mesa bar was frequented by Long Beach musicians and DJs, was found unresponsive in the parking lot of a motel in the Leyden Township of Chicago on Thurs., Feb. 28, at 5:40 AM, Mateck said.

A woman leaving for work found Conley near a curb and attempted to resuscitate him using CPR, but was unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead 45 minutes later at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

On the last night of his 10-day stint in the Chicago area, he checked into the O’Hare Kitchenette Motel accompanied by a woman identified as Adrienne Castaneda, 34, a Leyden Township resident who lives within blocks of the motel.

Conley and Castaneda met at a bar in downtown Chicago and spent most of the night in that area until they left to check into the motel around 2 AM. The pair were dropped off outside of the motel by a cab driver and appeared to have been drinking, the motel’s night clerk told the District Weekly.

Once checked in, the pair continued to “party,” said Mateck, until approximately 5 AM when Castaneda left the motel. Conley walked out to the parking lot with her, but never made it back to his hotel room.

Police officials believe that Conley’s death was likely due to a head injury caused when he fell down after a night of excessive “partying,” Mateck said. The results from the medical examiner’s toxicology report specifying what substances were in Conley’s system may take up to eight weeks.

Castaneda, who made one purchase using Conley’s card at a local store, was arrested earlier today and charged with one count of forgery, felony theft, possession of a lost or misplaced credit card and one count of unlawful use of a credit card, Mateck told the District Weekly.

It is unclear at what point in the evening the credit cards were stolen. Castaneda is being held overnight in jail until the Cook County Circuit Court can hear the case.

Friends and family are arranging for funeral services and a benefit concert featuring punk rock band the Briefs is in the works to help provide financial support for his three children.

“He was our Joe Strummer. He had a heart of gold,” friend Marc “Lucky” Locke said. “It’s really gonna turn this town upside down.”

Tags: avalon bar, cook county, costa mesa, michael conley, mike conley