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John D. Carver, M.D.
Forensic Pathologist
800 Jefferson County Parkway
Golden, CO 80401
jdcarveregmail.com
AUTOPSY REPORT
Name of decedent: Marquez, Andrew
Case: Jefferson County
Date and time of death: June 19, 2018 1758 Age: 36
Date and time of autopsy113une 20, 2018 0830 Sex: MALE
DIAGNOSES:
I. Cerebral swelling and anoxic/ischemic encephalopathy
a.m?tnessed seizure activity
kx Elevated blood level of mitragynine
TOXICOLOGY:
REFERENCE LABORATORY: NMS Labs
Blood sertraline: 35 ng/mL; 89 ng/mL
Blood mitragynine: 1600 ng/mL
Serum caffeine: Positive
Serum cotinine: Positive
Other than. the above findings, examination. of time specimen(s)
submitted did not reveal any positive findings of toxicological
significance.
OPINION:
The cause of death is seizures and anoxic brain injury due
mitragynine intoxication. Mitragynine is the active component
found in leaves of the Kratom plant, preparatioms of which are
consumed. for stimulant and. analgesic effects. Adverse effects
AUTOPSY REPORT Marquez, Andrew
include seizures, coma and death. The level detected in this case
is well above the reported reference range for fatalities
attributed to mitragynine use. Sertaline and its metabolite,
were detected at levels within the accepted
therapeutic windows for those substances.
The manner of death is accident.
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John D. Carver, M.D. VZN kg??
ME: 7/12/2018
HISTORY: The decedent was 51 36 year old Caucasian male (DOB:
September 20, 1981) who had a witnessed seizure in the presence of
his parents at home on June 15, 2018. He turned blue and stopped
breathing. Emergency medical services were activated and the
decedent was transported to Lutheran Medical Center by ambulance.
He was still seizing' upon arrival. Clinically, he had severe
anoxic hmairl injury. admission. urine toxicology screen was
negative. The screen was positive salicylate. He also had a
prolonged interval, which vans also thought tx> be related to
using Kratom. After discussion with family members, the decedent
was placed. on comfort care measures, was extubatedq and. died
several hours thereafter.
The decedent's past medical history is significant for using
Kratom and opioid abuse. He had reportedly been using increasing
quantities of Kratom in the past several months. He took Paxil for
depression. Other prescription medications included aripiprazole.
WITNESSES: Personnel present for portions of the postmortem
examination include John D. Carver, M.D., Criminalist Kyle McElroy
(Arvada Police Department), and Randi Miller, Autopsy Assistant.
IDENTIFICATION: Positive identification was made via fingerprint
comparison.
CLOTHING: The body is clad in a hospital gown.
AUTOPSY REPORT Marquez, Andrew
IDENTIFYING MARKS AND SCARS: None.
EVIDENCE OF Multilumen catheter
(right jugular). Gauze and tape are over the eyes. A tan?colored
circular disc is adherent to the skin below the left earlobe.
The autopsy is commenced at 08:30 hours, on June 20, 2018, on the
body of Andrew Marquez at the Jefferson County Coroner's Office,
Golden? Colorado. The Ibody is that of 51 well?developedq welle
nourished Caucasian male whose appearance is generally consistent
with the reported age (ME 36 years. The body measures 5 feet 8
inches long and weighs 195 pounds. Rigor mortis is fixed in the
jaw and extremities. Red?pink livor mortis is posterior, except in
areas exposed to pressure.
HEAD: The body hair has a normal male distribution. Head hair is
dark brown/black. A short black mustache and beard are over the
upper lip, chin, and cheeks. EYES: The corneas are clear. The
irises are brown. The pupils are equal. There are no scleral or
conjunctival petechiae. NOSE: The septum is midline and does not
grate upon palpation. EARS: The ears are normally formed. ORAL
CAVITY: The oral cavity contains natural dentition.
NECK: The neck structures are midline.
CHEST: The breasts and nipples are normal male.
ABDOMEN: The abdomen is protuberant and soft. There are
multiple ?venipuncture Jmarks, with. surrounding' faint. blue?purple
contusion, over the upper and lower abdomen. A 3 horizontal
surgical scar is over the right iliac crest. A 3 cm well?healed
scar is over the right lower flank.
GENITALIA: The external genitalia are normal male.
EXTREMITIES:
UPPER EXTREMITIES: The upper extremities are symmetrically formed
with all digits present. The hands are somewhat edematous.
LOWER EXTREMITIES: The lower extremities are symmetrically formed
with all digits present.
AUTOPSY REPORT ?4u Marquez, Andrew
BACK AND SACRUM: The back and sacrum are unremarkable.
BODY CAVITIES: 200 mL of serosanguinous fluid are in the right
pleural cavity; 150 mL are in the left pleural cavity. There are
no abnormal adhesions in any of the body cavities.
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM: The heart weighs 315 grams. The epicardial
surface is unremarkable. The coronary ostia are patent. The
coronary arteries follow a left dominant distribution. Sectioning
reveals focal mild narrowing of the proximal left anterior
descending artery; this artery is intramural, to a depth of
perhaps 2?3 mm, along 2 cm of its length. No thrombi are seen. The
endocardial surface and papillary are unremarkable. The
valve leaflets are thin and pliant. The myocardium is firm and
red?brown. There are no areas of fibrosis or scarring. AORTA: The
intimal surface is smooth and yellow. The major' branches,
including the celiac, superior and inferior mesenteric, and renal
arteries are widely? patent. The inferior vena cava is
unremarkable.
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM: The right and left lungs weigh 795 and 570
grams, respectively, and. are morphologically 'unremarkable. The
is; mottled tan?orange t1) red?purple ill the dependent
portions. There are no masses or areas of consolidation. The
trachea and mainstem bronchi contain scant amounts of tan mucoid
fluid. There are no masses or aspirated material. The pulmonary
arteries are free of thromboemboli.
SPLEEN: The spleen weighs 370 grams. The capsule is intact. The
is; fimn and purple. There are no infarcts, nodules,
scars, or present.
LIVER: The liver weighs 2290 grams. The capsule is intact. The
is firm and orangenbrown. No masses are detected.
GALLBLADDER: A thin?walled gallbladder contains liquid bile and no
stones.
ESOPHAGUS: The esophagus has an intact, pink?purple mucosa.
AUTOPSY REPORT Marquez, Andrew
STOMACH: The stomach. contains 50 cc of? tan. mucoid. fluidd The
mucosal surface is smooth and glistening. There are no gastric or
duodenal ulcers. SMALL AND LARGE INTESTINES: The large and small
intestines have appropriate luminal diameter and serosal
appearance throughout their respective courses. Nodular feces are
within the colon.
PANCREAS: The pancreas has tan?orange, lobular architecture and
no evidence of hemorrhage or saponification.
ADRENAL GLANDS: The adrenal glands have golden cortices and gray?
brown medullae.
KIDNEYS: The right and. left kidneys weigh 155 and. 175 grams,
respectively. The capsules strip with some difficulty. The
external cortical surfaces are finely granular and brown?purple.
The cortices are well delineated from the medullary pyramids. The
pelves and ureters are not dilated. URINARY BLADDER: The urinary
bladder is empty. There is patchy hyperemia of the mucosal surface
(attributed to Foley catheter placement). MALE INTERNAL GENITALIA:
The prostate gland is firm and tan?yellow.
SPINE: The spine has normal configuration.
NECK: The anterior musculature is smooth and glistening. There is
some hemorrhage in the right sternocleidomastoid muscle in
association v?j?1 the right?side intravenous catheter placement.
The tongue is free of lacerations and contusions. The hyoid bone
and thyroid cartilage are intact. The laryngeal mucosa coated with
a scant amount of tan mucoid fluid, and the underlying mucosa is
orange?purple and moist. There are no masses or aspirated
material. The thyroid. gland. has symmetrical lobes and. appears
unremarkable.
SKULL ATE) BRAIN: Reflection the scalp reveals IN) areas of
laceration, contusion, or hematoma. There is some patchy
hypostasis above and behind the right temporalis muscle. The skull
is intact and without fracture. The dura is intact. There is no
epidural, subdural, or subarachnoid hemorrhage. The brain weighs
1665 grams. It is markedly edematous, with widening of the gyri
and narrowing of the sulci. The medial edges of the temporal lobes
AUTOPSY REPORT Marquez, Andrew
are quite swollen, but not hemorrhagic or necrotic. The cerebellar
tonsils are not particularly prominent. The cerebrovascular system
has normal configuration. The cranial nerves are symmetrically
intact. Serial coronal sections through the ?brain reveal near
effacement of the lateral ventricles to slight openings, and focal
loss of distinction between the cortical ribbon and the underlying
white matter tracts. There are no areas of hemorrhage, contusion,
or? mass lesiorL within. the cortex, white: mattery brainstem, or
cerebellwn. The atlanto?occipital joint is intact. The cervical
spinal column has normal mobility.
SPECIMENS: Hospital admission bloods include one gold top serum
separator tube, and one purple top tube drawn at 19:03 on June 15,
2018. An additional gray top tube was withdrawn at autopsy.
HEART: Sections of left ventricle, septum, and right ventricle
are unremarkable.
LUNG: Red blood cells are focally in alveoli. Scattered clusters
of pigmented macrophages are in alveoli.
LIVER: Unremarkable.
KIDNEY: Occasional sclerotic glomeruli and scattered, small
aggregates of in the interstitium.
BRAIN: Purkinje cell dropout and Purkinje cells with bright pink
cytoplasm are ill a section of cerebellum. Cell membrane
retraction, nuclear darkening, and bright pink cytoplasmic
eosinophilia are in the CA4 sector of the hippocampus. Like
changes are focally seen in neurons from sections of basal ganglia
and cortex.
OF