title: The Prevalence of Paraphernalia Found at the Scene of Drug-Related Deaths.
abstract: Many illicit drugs involve the use of paraphernalia, and the presence of paraphernalia found at the scene of death may suggest that the death is drug-related. Few sources of objective data are available regarding the prevalence of drug paraphernalia found at the scene of drug-related deaths or the likelihood of a death with drug paraphernalia found at the scene to be drug-related. This study reviews the deaths which were investigated by the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office in an attempt to provide objective data. Over 4000 deaths with scene investigations were reviewed, and the presence of paraphernalia was found to be strongly associated with the death being drug-related, heroin-related, or cocaine-related with the relative risk for each being 5.0, 15.4, and 6.6, respectively. This confirms that the presence of drug paraphernalia at the scene of death strongly suggests the death to be drug-related and in particular heroin-related.
authors.affiliation: Forensic Pathology Fellow, Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office, 7337 Louis Pasteur Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229-4565.
authors.forename: Jason G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Lozano
authors.affiliation: Forensic Pathology Fellow, Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office, 7337 Louis Pasteur Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229-4565.
authors.forename: Nicole L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Healy
authors.affiliation: Forensic Pathology Fellow, Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office, 7337 Louis Pasteur Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229-4565.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kimberley Molina
mesh_terms: D003334:Coroners and Medical Examiners; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000401:mortality; D004864:Equipment and Supplies; D006801:Humans; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000401:mortality*; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: cocaine; drug abuse; drug overdose; drug paraphernalia; forensic pathology; forensic science; heroin