Murdered while under the influence of 3-MeO-PCP.
Pascal Kintz, Alice Ameline, Alexis Walch, Audrey Farrugia, Jean-Sébastien Raul
International Journal of Legal Medicine March 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-018-1901-x (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA 39-year-old woman with a history of multidrug abuse was murdered by ligature strangulation. Toxicological analysis of her blood, bile, urine, and hair detected ethanol (1.37 g/L), diazepam (157 ng/mL), nordiazepam (204 ng/mL), cocaine (25 ng/mL), benzoylecgonine (544 ng/mL), and the dissociative hallucinogen 3-MeO-PCP. Concentrations of 3-MeO-PCP were 63 ng/mL in femoral blood, 64 ng/mL in bile, and 94 ng/mL in urine; hair segments showed 731, 893, and 846 pg/mg, indicating long-term use. The combination of drugs, especially 3-MeO-PCP, likely caused major impairment including visual hallucinations and altered behavior. This is the first reported hair concentrations for 3-MeO-PCP.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A 39-year-old female multidrug addict |
| Keywords | 3-meo-pcp New psychoactive substances Severe hallucinations Uplc-ms/ms |
| Key finding | The simultaneous presence of ethanol, diazepam, nordiazepam, cocaine, benzoylecgonine, and 3-MeO-PCP was detected in a murder victim, with 3-MeO-PCP concentrations in hair indicating long-term abuse. |
Abstract
The abuse of new psychoactive substances (NPS) has been dramatically increasing all around the world since the late 2000s. The availability of hundreds of NPS in the past decade is challenging for both public health and global drug policies. A 39-year-old woman, known as a multidrug addict, was murdered by her partner by ligature strangulation. A comprehensive toxicological screening by gas chromatography and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry revealed the simultaneous presence of ethanol (1.37 g/L), diazepam (157 ng/mL) and nordiazepam (204 ng/mL), cocaine (25 ng/mL) and benzoylecgonine (544 ng/mL), and (3-methoxy-(1-(1-phenylcyclohexyl)piperidine) or 3-MeO-PCP, a dissociative hallucinogen anesthetic drug. Concentrations of 3-MeO-PCP were 63, 64, and 94 ng/mL in femoral blood, bile, and urine, respectively. Hair tested also positive for 3-MeO-PCP on 3 × 2-cm segments at 731, 893, and 846 pg/mg, indicating long-term abuse of the drug. This seems to be the first ever reported hair concentrations. Major impairment of the victim, including visual hallucinations and alteration of behavior, was attributed to the mixture of all the drugs, with a major contribution of 3-MeO-PCP. The toxicological findings were compared to the few reports available in the medical literature.