A 70-year-old woman who died suddenly at her home in Co Meath had a “high” level of alcohol in her blood but also had a “toxic” level of a prescription drug, an inquest has been told. The inquest conducted at Trim Courthouse by Coroner for Co Meath Nathaniel Lacy was one of a number of inquests held in “documentary fashion”. These inquests can proceed by the reading of documents or depositions in cases where the next of kin have indicated that they do not wish to be present for the hearing.
In one case where the family was not present the inquest heard evidence that an ambulance had been called to the woman’s home in the early hours of the morning. CPR had taken place but had stopped at 23.55 when the woman was pronounced deceased. Evidence was given that the woman had been found lying on an upstairs bedroom floor and that her daughters had carried out CPR on her. Gardai said there was nothing suspicious or untoward about her death.
Consultant pathologist Professor Muna Sabah who carried out a post mortem on deceased said that the person had a mixture of prescription drugs and alcohol in her system. The alcohol level was 312/100 and the Tramadol drug was at “toxic” level in her system. The person had died of cardiac arrest. The coroner returned a verdict of misadventure.
In a separate inquest on a 28-year-old man found deceased at his home last year. Inspector Smith read out a deposition which stated that the man had been in bed and was found deceased by his father at 4pm. The deceased’s body had been removed to the mortuary at Navan and was formally identified there by his father. Professor Sabah told the inquest that samples of blood and urine had been submitted for toxicology and while the man’s system was negative for alcohol he had a mixture of prescribed medication. One of these was at toxic level. There was also a strong painkiller which was above therapeutic level. The deceased also had ketamine in his system. The combination of all these drugs had resulted in his death by acute respiratory failure, she said. The coroner returned a verdict of misadventure.
Another inquest into the death of a woman aged 30 heard that the husband of the deceased had returned home to find his wife deceased by ligature in the hallway. A deposition by a Garda read that there was no third party involvement in the woman’s death. Professor Sabah said that the person’s system did not contain alcohol or drugs. The coroner returned a verdict of suicide.
The inquest hearing also heard of the death of a woman which had taken place in June last year. The family had consented to the inquest being held in documentary format. A deposition by a Garda read that he had been called to the scene of a sudden death in a rural area of Co Meath where a man told him he had found his 45-year-old partner deceased on a couch at their home. Toxicology results showed that there was no alcohol in the woman’s system but there was a mixture of medications including methadone which was at “very high levels”. Other drugs were at “toxic” levels. She also had other medications which were at therapeutic or below therapeutic levels. She found that death was due to combined drug toxicity. The coroner returned a verdict of misadventure.
A further inquest enquired into the death last May of a man in his 80s. A Garda based in Trim deposed that he was informed about a man who had been missing from his home. The Garda had conducted a search for the man in Trim but was unsuccessful in finding him. The Coastguard had conducted an aerial search and Meath River Rescue also participated in a search. The remains of the man had been recovered from the river Boyne. Professor Sabah said that her post mortem in deceased showed that his heart was “massively enlarged” and weighed 650 grams (average weight is 280-340g). The deceased’s system did not contain alcohol and there was presence of a prescribed drug but this was within therapeutic levels. She concluded that the man had died from drowning. The coroner returned a verdict of suicide.
The death of a 21-year-old man in Co Meath in 2024 was also the subject of an inquest hearing and was conducted through documentation only. A deposition by a Garda read that he had been informed by a family that they had found their relative deceased in a shed at the rear of the family home. The pathologist said that samples of the man’s blood showed negative for alcohol but he had a mixture of prescribed drugs. Most were at therapeutic level except for one drug which was at “ toxic” level. However, that may have been as a result of post mortem distribution. The coroner returned a verdict of suicide.
