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Most other places pretty much release preliminary reports prior to the tox screen coming back.
I'll also mention... I'm sure they've shared the prelim results with the mother.. And.. The mother hasn't really been heard from lately.
There are literally a possibility of dozens of samples taken during autopsy, both tissue and liquids (liver, spleen, eyeball, stomach contents [if present] etc), and then dozens of tests performed depending upon what they are looking for/suspect in the tox panels. I would think this case would be one where the ME collected many samples since it's a bit "high profile".
If something "lights up" on toxicology, further testing is done for confirmation. If more than one drug is present in the system, those get confirmation re-tests as well. Some labs are not equipped for specialized testing for specifics and positive sampling is sent out to labs that are. For example, you can pull a positive for opiates but the lab may not be equipped to test to determine a specific opioid and it will be sent to a lab that is. Some of this testing can take months to complete.
Then there is data interpretation, such as synergism of two or more drugs found.
There are literally a possibility of dozens of samples taken during autopsy, both tissue and liquids (liver, spleen, eyeball, stomach contents [if present] etc), and then dozens of tests performed depending upon what they are looking for/suspect in the tox panels. I would think this case would be one where the ME collected many samples since it's a bit "high profile".
If something "lights up" on toxicology, further testing is done for confirmation. If more than one drug is present in the system, those get confirmation re-tests as well. Some labs are not equipped for specialized testing for specifics and positive sampling is sent out to labs that are. For example, you can pull a positive for opiates but the lab may not be equipped to test to determine a specific opioid and it will be sent to a lab that is. Some of this testing can take months to complete.
Then there is data interpretation, such as synergism of two or more drugs found.
The ME who did the autopsy knows why he died.
He might not know what CAUSED it.. But he knows why death occurred, just from the autopsy.
The tox screen is to see what's there, to fully establish the CAUSE of death. Right now, they know.. I suppose the term might be the 'mechanism of death'.. Be it heart attack, aneurysm, stroke, cancer, etc, etc.. That's known.
Again.. I suppose i'm a little stuck and can't really get past the fact that MA apparently doesn't release that information. So, basically, we're at the mercy of the family.
*IF* it winds up being drugs.. And, I don't say it certainly is.. I do hold the possibility of it out there.. I'd be a tad surprised if they have to do a whole lot of testing to determine what it is. Can't particularly imagine a middle schooler getting hold of something exotic that wouldn't pop in a standard tox screen.
The things you're talking, having multiple labs determine the substance.. I mean, arsenic poisoning, strychnine and things like that.. I don't disagree with you. But.. I don't see him having been poisoned.
And, actually, reading a bit more closely.. I'm not sure it's the same person. Because the story mentions that the teen died 2 days after eating the chip. Both were, apparently, from MA, though, which may be what fooled me. I don't recall the name of the teen who died, but.. I thought it was the same day.
The ages and location match up, tho.
Ok.. I think that story got their facts confused.. Look at this article..
that brings up the stroke as well, but in a 15 year old who ate a carolina reaper, that happened two days after he ate it, and he didn't die. I think the article from the media place, the first link.. Juxtaposed/combined the stories.
I searched for one chip challenge acute cerebellar stroke and saw what was seemingly corroboration, but.. It appears the other stories are just mentioning the fact that a different teen had a stroke 2 days after eating a reaper. So, I don't think it's even unofficial that was the COD in the MA teen.. Just a marketing website with a poorly written article.
That being said.. There's been no other stories on this that I have seen.. No lawsuits having been filed going on 9 months later. So.. Kinda tells me that whatever was in the autopsy.. Shows that the chip is not what killed him.
The cause of death was listed as cardiopulmonary arrest “in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration.” The report also noted that the teen had an enlarged heart and a congenital heart defect.
So.. I disagree with the title of the article, that he died from eating the chip. I'll leave some wiggle that perhaps the chip could have been a 'trigger' event, but.. Enlarged Heart and heart defect is what killed him.
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