Coroner's preliminary report

Office of the Yoknapatawpha County Coroner

SUMMARY PRELIMINARY REPORT OF AUTOPSY

Name:
GARRETT, Ambrose

Coroner's Case #:
2023-033

Date of Birth:
03/16/1973

Age:
49

Race:
White

Sex:
Male

Date of Death:
03/05/2023

Body Identified by:
Delilah Garrett, wife of the deceased

Case #
001187-05C-2023

Investigative Agency:
Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department

EVIDENCE OF TREATMENT

N/A

EXTERNAL EXAMINATION - SUMMARY

The autopsy is begun at 8:30 a.m. on March 6, 2023. The body is presented in a black body bag. When first viewed, the deceased is clothed in a blue patterned short-sleeve shirt, khaki pants, and brown shoes. The hands are covered with paper bags secured at the wrists with rubber bands. Jewelry included a wedding ring and a wristwatch.

The body is that of a well-nourished, normally developed white male measuring 72 inches and weighing 210 pounds, and appearing generally consistent with the stated age of fifty years. Preservation is good on the unembalmed body. The body is cold to the touch following refrigeration.

The head hair is gray and black with a maximal length of 2 inches. The body hair is male and average. The head is symmetric, and the eyes are closed. The nose and ears are unremarkable. The teeth are natural with some amalgam restorations.

The chest is of normal contour and is intact. The abdomen is protuberant, and the pelvis is intact. The external genitalia is male and unremarkable, and there is no evidence of injury. The back is symmetrical and intact. The upper and lower extremities are symmetric, normally developed, and intact. The hands and nails are clean and evidence no injury.

There are no residual scars, markings, or tattoos.

INTERNAL EXAMINATION - SUMMARY

BODY CAVITIES: Generalized visceral congestion and evidence of hemorrhage are observed. The diaphragm is intact. The organs are normally located.

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM: The brain weighs 1,321 grams and has unremarkable meninges. The vasculature of the basilar and cerebral arterial circulatory systems is unremarkable. With the dura removed, the base of the skull is free of fractures.

MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM: The musculoskeletal system is intact, unremarkable, and within normal limits.

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM: The oral cavity shows no lesions. The mucosa is intact, and there are no injuries to the lips, teeth, or gums. There is no obstruction of the airway. The cervical spine is in the midline and essentially unremarkable. The mucosa of the epiglottis, glottis, piriform sinuses, trachea, and major bronchi are anatomic and hemorrhagic. The hyoid bone, the thyroid, and the cricoid cartilages are intact. The lungs are reddish and congested. The visceral pleura is unremarkable. The lungs weigh: right, 561 grams; left, 588 grams.

CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM: The heart weighs 267 grams and has a normal size and configuration. Cardiac valves and coronary ostia are anatomic and unremarkable. No evidence of atherosclerosis or gross ischemic changes of recent or remote origin is present.

GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM: The mucosa and wall of the esophagus are intact and moderately inflamed. The gastric mucosa is intact and moderately inflamed. Approximately 200 ml of partially digested semisolid food is found in the stomach. The mucosa of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, colon, and rectum are intact. Externally the small intestine, appendix, and colon are unremarkable.

HEPATOBILIARY SYSTEM: The liver weighs 1,339 grams and shows intense congestion. There are early indications of fatty change, but cirrhosis has not developed. The gallbladder contains six cc of thick green viscid bile, no stones, and is grossly normal. The extrahepatic biliary system is unremarkable. The pancreas shows the usual lobular architecture, mild autolysis, and is otherwise normal.

URINARY SYSTEM: The kidneys weigh: left, 103 grams; right, 99 grams. The kidneys are anatomic in size, shape, and location, and are without lesions. The pelvic calyceal system and ureters are unremarkable. The bladder contains 50 cc of amber urine.

MALE GENITAL SYSTEM: Two testes are palpable in the scrotum, which is otherwise normal. The external genitalia, perineum, and anorectal areas are normal except for a small external hemorrhoid at the 1 o'clock position. The inguinal regions and buttocks are normal. The seminal vesicles are normal, and the prostate is firm and nodular with slight enlargement. There are no signs of recent consensual sexual activity.

TOXICOLOGY: Samples of right pleural blood and bile are submitted for toxicologic analysis. Stomach contents are saved.

SEROLOGY: A sample of right pleural blood is submitted in the EDTA tube. Routine toxicologic studies were ordered.

DESCRIPTION OF INJURIES - SUMMARY

(1) A blue-green/brown area of discoloration consistent with old hematoma is present on the distal aspect of the left calf, measuring 2.3 X 1.8 cm.

Opinion: This is a non-fatal antemortem injury.

LABORATORY DATA

Cerebrospinal fluid culture and sensitivity:

Gram stain: Unremarkable
Culture: No growth after 72 hours

Cerebrospinal fluid bacterial antigens:

Hemophilus influenza B: Negative
Streptococcus pneumoniae: Negative
N. Meningitidis: Negative
Neiserria meningitidis B/E. Coli K1: Negative

Preliminary Toxicological Results:

Further analyses to conclusively establish toxin levels are in progress.

Millicent Schmid, Ph.D.
Chief Toxicologist
March 8, 2023

EVIDENCE COLLECTED

1. Samples of hair, blood (type A+), urine, bile, and tissue (heart, lung, brain, kidney, liver, spleen)

2. Stomach contents (approx. 200 ml)

3. Six (6) autopsy photographs

4. Two (2) postmortem x-rays

5. Two (2) standard fingerprint cards

Clothing and Personal Effects:

1. One (1) men's button-down shirt, blue patterned, short-sleeved, size XXL

2. One (1) pair of men's khaki pants, size 40W 34L

3. One (1) pocketknife from the left front pants pocket

4. One (1) key ring with seven (7) keys from the right front pants pocket

5. One (1) cotton handkerchief, white, from the right rear pants pocket

6. $1.33 in coins - 2 quarters, 6 dimes, 4 nickels, 3 pennies, from the left front pants pocket.

7. One (1) pair of men's loafers, brown, size 13

8. One (1) pair of men's boxer-style underwear, white, size XL

9. One (1) men's wedding band, gold

10. One (1) men's wristwatch, gold

Clothing, contents of pockets, jewelry, hair sample, blood sample, urine sample, and one of the fingerprint cards were transferred to the Crime Lab for further analysis and comparison.

OPINION

Time of Death: Body temperature, rigor and livor mortis, stomach contents, and witness statements approximate the time of death between 7:30 and 9:30 P.M. on March 5, 2023.

Cause of Death: Cardiac and respiratory arrest associated with ethanol and isopropanol toxicity.

Manner of Death: Undetermined

COMMENTS

Autopsy results cannot establish the source of the isopropanol found in the decedent's system. Therefore, the cause of death cannot be conclusively established as suicide, homicide, or accidental. However, natural death has been definitively excluded.

//Douglas Hargrove, M.D.
Yoknapatawpha County Coroner's Office
March 8, 2023