03x01 - Dangerous Forces

[bunniefuu]

[music playing]

NARRATOR A media frenzy ignites when a -year-old girl

dies suddenly at a water park.

I couldn't believe it.

My baby was healthy.

NARRATOR But while pressure mounts--

There'll be a lot of phone calls.

NARRATOR Dr. G struggles to find a cause of death

with virtually no clues.

Nothing is clear cut.

I had to warn the mother that I may not have an answer.

NARRATOR Then, a young widow was found naked and dead next

to her all terrain vehicle.

But what was odd about it, is she's outside,

she doesn't have any clothes on except for her sandals.

NARRATOR Was it a bizarre accident

or a brutal r*pe and m*rder.

That stretch of highway that people all over the place

go through there.

I better prove this is or isn't a homicide.

[theme music]

NARRATOR Altered lives, baffling medical mysteries,

shocking revelations, these are the everyday cases of Dr. G,

medical examiner.

[music playing]

Sun, fun, and heart stopping thrills.

Every summer, Orlando's nine theme parks

attract more than million visitors,

many from out of state.

A few of them, unfortunately, never make it back.

Such deaths are extremely rare, averaging only about four

every year in the US.

But when they happen, they attract national attention.

And as a chief medical examiner whose jurisdiction includes

several popular theme parks, Dr. Jan Garavaglia

has her share of cases thrust into the spotlight.

That's just, you know, the bane

of my existence, that we have, you know,

deaths amusement parks.

I mean, I cannot function here without worrying about

deaths in amusement parks.

NARRATOR On this summer day, one tragic amusement park

death captivates the media.

It's the death of Jerra Kirby, a -year-old girl from Virginia.

REPORTER Jerra Kirby of Newport News collapsed--

NARRATOR Friday morning, AM,

while reporters speculate on Jerra Kirby's death,

Dr. G reviews the morgue investigator's

report to learn more about her.

STORMETTA She was such a smart little girl, full of life.

I was so proud to be her mom.

So proud.

NARRATOR -year-old Jerra had been on a dream vacation,

a whole week with her mother's cousins

at Orlando's top theme parks.

On the last day of the trip, they

hit the shores of one of the most popular water parks

in town.

STORMETTA Now she loves the water, so swimming, and being

around family, and going-- getting on rides and stuff,

very exciting for her.

NARRATOR Jerra packs more fun into one afternoon

than she could have ever imagined.

BILL STRATTON She was playing with your other children.

She was playing in the-- in the water.

They didn't have any indication to the family that she was ill

or had any--

any type of medical problems or physical problems.

NARRATOR Then, late in the day, lifeguards

noticed Jerra resting at the edge of the wave pool,

looking faint.

She complained of not feeling right, but, you know,

didn't want any help, didn't--

didn't think she needed any help.

NARRATOR But when she takes a few steps, she collapses.

[music playing]

The lifeguards immediately check her vital signs.

No pulse.

No breathing.

DR. G They tried to resuscitate her there at the park,

and they tried a defibrillator right away, and nothing.

NARRATOR miles away, back in Virginia,

Jerra's mother receives an unexpected call

from one of the cousins.

Hello.

And first thing that she said was,

Stormy, Jerra has passed out.

I really didn't believe it, until she started talking,

and I could listen to her voice, and then

I could tell the seriousness of what she was saying.

That's when it hit me.

My child was not breathing, and they're trying to revive her.

NARRATOR Paramedics soon arrive on the scene and rush Jerra

to the emergency room.

STORMETTA All I was just imagining

was that don't let anything happen to my baby.

[phone ringing]

NARRATOR But when her cousin calls back,

it's with devastating news.

[music playing]
[ … ]

STORMETTA She told me she was gone.

And, of course, I just dropped the phone.

I couldn't believe it.

DR. G They actually tried to resuscitate her

for a whole hour and minutes, but they

could never bring her back.

NARRATOR Jerra's sudden death has her mother

reeling with questions.

They said that she had just collapsed

after getting out of the water.

But did she drown?

I know she's a good swimmer.

NARRATOR And news reporters clamoring for answers.

DR. G When anybody dies in one of those parks,

it's somewhat of a big media question.

And because a lot of people go to those places,

and is something wrong there that that could

cause a young girl to die?

NARRATOR Theme park fatalities can

be caused by preexisting problems,

such as congenital heart disease.

But according to her mother, Jerra was in perfect health.

No medical history, takes nomads, no regular MD.

All we know is that she wasn't feeling well just a little--

you know just a little bit before she dies,

she's not feeling well.

But her temperature wasn't that high, a little over , so I

doubt that it's heat stroke.

NARRATOR Meanwhile, reporters have

one burning question, did a ride or park

negligence k*ll the girl?

[music playing]

DR. G I'm sure that they will be all over this

and wanting to know the answer.

I just hope I have one by the end of the day.

Is a cute little girl.

A little bit of froth on her mouth.

You can still see that.

NARRATOR At first glance, the foam

seems to confirm the mother's fear,

that Jay was somehow drowned in the pools artificial waves.

But surprisingly, Dr. G is quick to rule this out.

DR. G Believe it or not, drowning is often best

diagnosed from the history.

You're not going to be out of the water

and being fine and being able to talk one minute, and then

a witnessed collapse the next.

That's not going to be a drowning.

NARRATOR She is more concerned about another possible hazard,

a head injury.

Going down something a slide or something, maybe

she hit her head and just didn't bother to tell anybody,

and she's got to bleed in the brain.

NARRATOR Dr. G carefully checks the head for hidden abrasions,

cuts, or bumps that could signal an underlying trauma.

But the search reveals nothing.

Could a ride have injured Jerra and left no external wounds?

We're not going to know that for sure until we get inside.

I've been fooled before with that.

But there's certainly no other trauma on her.

She looked good.

[music playing]

NARRATOR Dr. G makes the standard Y

incision from shoulders to torso exposing

Jerra's internal organs.

Heavy bleeding around them could indicate trauma

from an accident, but she sees no obvious injuries

or excess blood.

Next, she focuses on one of the most suspect organs

in a sudden death, the heart.

When somebody dies suddenly and unexpectedly, you know,

the heart is often the main culprit.

Maybe the heart's not formed right.

NARRATOR In fact, nearly one out of every babies

is born with some kind of heart defect.

It's possible that Jerra had an undiagnosed condition,

and that the prolonged stress from a week

of amusement park rides had an adverse effect on her heart.

To find out, Dr. G carefully dissects the organ.

Because of the sudden death, we're

expecting maybe an arrhythmia.

So we're looking to make sure that the blood

supply to the heart's normal.

NARRATOR She searches the heart for constricted blood vessels

and other abnormal formations.

But her heart looked pretty good.

I didn't find any congenital abnormalities.

NARRATOR The only finding in Jerra's heart is subtle,

one side looks slightly swollen.

But we see that with CPR, particularly prolonged CPR.

So I wasn't too worried about that.

NARRATOR So far, Dr. G has found no evidence that a ride

caused Jerra's death.

Both the family and the media must

continue to wait for answers.

STORMETTA I just want to know what

could have happened to her all of a sudden to take her away.

NARRATOR Coming up next, Dr. G struggles

to find more clues behind Jerra's mysterious death.

It would be devastating to me to think
[ … ]

my child d*ed I don't know why.

NARRATOR And she must face the media with disappointing news.

I don't have a good grasp on what's going on.

NARRATOR When "Dr. G Medical Examiner" continues.

[music playing]

RECEPTIONIST She's got autopsy duty.

NARRATOR On any given day, Dr. G's morgue receives a few dozen

phone calls from laboratories, law enforcement,

loved ones, even government officials.

Today, that number has more than tripled.

The calls are from the media, hungry for information

about the sudden death of Jerra Kirby.

The -year-old collapsed at an Orlando pool the day before,

and they want to know if something at the water park

k*lled her.

All I can say is, I don't know.

I don't know yet.

We need more time.

Hopefully, this whole thing will die down.

NARRATOR But for Dr. G, the media

is the least of her concerns.

She knows that back in Virginia Jerra's mother

is suffering her worst nightmare.

DR. G It's got to be horrible that her daughter d*ed

here, she's in another state.

NARRATOR Compounding the mother's grief

is a heartbreaking past.

Jerra is not the first child she has lost.

There was a fire at my mom's house.

My daughter was about months old.

She d*ed from the smoke inhalation.

[sirens wailing]

NARRATOR While tragic, this child's sudden death at least

had a clear cut cause.

Jerra's is simply incomprehensible.

STORMETTA My baby was healthy.

There was nothing wrong with her.

Never been sick.

Why did it happen again?

[music playing]

NARRATOR As the day wears on, Dr. G methodically inspects

every organ.

.

So we go through the entire process.

I look for evidence of everything.

NARRATOR With her naked eye, she can see no signs of illness

or trauma in the major organs.

Even her suspicions that Jerra may have hit her head

are put to rest when her brain reveals no injury.

DR. G I don't see any blood.

There was clearly no trauma to the brain.

NARRATOR Then, under Jerra's arms,

she finds her first promising clue.

She's got very prominent lymph nodes.

NARRATOR Lymph nodes, which contain

white blood cells play an important role

within the body's immune system.

More than of these nodes are clustered in areas

from under the jaw down to the knees.

They look like kind of tanned little grapes.

Hers were-- were that big, little-- little tiny,

small-- small grapes, I guess.

NARRATOR Swollen nodes often mean the body

is fighting an infection.

The effect is usually localized.

A sore throat, for example, triggers nodes only

in the neck.

But Jerra's lymph nodes are enlarged throughout her body.

DR. G An area between heart and lungs,

even in the abdominal area, a lot of enlarged lymph nodes.

NARRATOR This could indicate a serious illness,

such as cancer, completely unrelated to the park.

DR. G But in and of itself, I didn't

have an answer with that.

NARRATOR To determine whether Jerra had been suffering

from an undetected illness, Dr. G

must look under the microscope.

She collects tissue samples of the swollen nodes

as well as samples from organs, including the spleen,

the heart, and the lungs.

DR. G Pretty much all your major organs,

I will want to look at to see if I can tell what's going on.

STORMETTA It was very difficult to try

to understand the procedure, and how long it would take,

and how many tests had to be done.

NARRATOR For now, Dr. G ends the internal exam

with only one clear finding.

It appears that Jerra Kirby's death

was not the result of an injury sustained at the park.

What did k*ll the girl remains a mystery

that she still must solve.

DR. G Nothing is clear cut, nothing is giving

us the answer on this autopsy.

We've gotta do special tests.

We've got to look under the microscope.

I'm done with the autopsy, but I'm certainly not

done with the case.

NARRATOR Completing the work will take weeks,

too long to hold off the press.

I am definitely going to have to deal with the media.
[ … ]

NARRATOR With the mother's permission,

Dr. G issues a press release with the preliminary findings.

No signs of trauma, official cause of death,

to be determined.

Could it have been some type of infection?

Could somebody have given her some dr*gs or something

she shouldn't have had?

Could it have been some type of an allergic reaction,

because she d*ed awfully quick?

I'm still optimistic that I'm going

to have some answers here.

[music playing]

NARRATOR In the following weeks,

results trickle in from the comprehensive tests

ordered by Dr. G.

Blood culture is a test for being

like for allergic reactions, eye fluid, glucose.

Every time that she found some information out,

she would call me.

If she tested for certain things,

she would call me and tell me the results.

NARRATOR But none hold the answer to Jerra's sudden death.

All my tests are coming back negative.

NARRATOR No allergies, no bacterial infections, no dr*gs.

DR. G She didn't take anything.

Looks like maybe she has some type of cola drink.

She had some caffeine in her, but that was about it.

NARRATOR Now the case hinges on what

Dr. G can find in Jerra's tissue samples under the microscope.

DR. G There's outside pressure to get an answer certainly.

We get the media calling us, but that's not the pressure for me.

The pressure for me is from within that I

want to get the answer.

And I want to get the answer for the mom.

And it would be devastating to me

to think my child d*ed I don't know why.

NARRATOR But despite her efforts,

the answer remains elusive.

There is nothing that standing out

from the microscopic slides.

I had some subtle changes in the heart,

a few little white cells.

NARRATOR And the lymph nodes are not

cancerous but show signs of having

reacted to a possible virus.

Didn't tell me a lot.

NARRATOR The two small clues are not enough to identify

a cause of death.

At this point, Dr. G must prepare for the worst

and do the unthinkable.

DR. G I had to warn the mother that I may not have an answer.

[music playing]

NARRATOR Coming up next, the final report

triggers disturbing questions.

If you found out early enough, was there something

that you could do about it.

NARRATOR And Dr. G must deliver her answers to the media.

I can't believe I have to do this.

NARRATOR "When Dr. G Medical Examiner" continues.

[music playing]

The autopsy, the tox screens, the microscopics, nothing

has revealed a clear cause of death

for -year-old Jerra Kirby, who d*ed suddenly

in an Orlando theme park.

Maybe I won't get an answer.

I'm not sure.

NARRATOR But Dr. G isn't ready to give up yet.

I've got to come up with the answer,

if not for anybody but the girl.

NARRATOR years experience tells her she may still

find the key to this mystery within the forensic evidence

she already has.

It's time to go back to square one.

DR. G So then you sit back and you say,

OK, nothing is obvious here.

It's just kind of a viral ooh reaction on the lymph

nodes is really all I'm seeing.

NARRATOR Dr. G re-examines all the facts

with a fresh perspective.

DR. G There is a lot of little subtle things,

and maybe they mean something.

Her temperature wasn't that high,

rectal temperature was .

I had some subtle changes in the heart.

Few little white cells.

Defibrillator right away, nothing,

they couldn't get her back.

Well, you know, just a little bit before she dies,

she's not feeling well.

NARRATOR The collective clues nag at Dr. G.

The white cells, the slight fever, the enlarged lymph nodes

all point to a virus.

But what virus could have k*lled her so

swiftly with so few symptoms?

And suddenly it clicks.

And I thought, I've really got to do

more sections of this heart.

NARRATOR Dr. G has a hunch that Jerra may have been

afflicted with myocarditis.

Basically myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart.
[ … ]

It's like an infection, or you get heart muscle cells dying

from some type of inflammation, and you get sudden death

because they're an irritant to the heart

and you can get an arrhythmia associated

with the myocarditis.

NARRATOR Arrhythmia is an irregular

heartbeat, whether slower or faster than normal.

In worst case scenarios, a heart can

fibrillate or quiver so fast that it loses

its capacity to pump blood.

If myocarditis had triggered arrhythmia in Jerra's heart

it would explain her collapse.

And the number one cause of this type of infection in the US

is a virus that afflicts as many as million people a year,

the Coxsackievirus.

Highly contagious and with no vaccine

this virus can be spread through droplets of a sneeze

and survive for days on contaminated surfaces.

Coxsackievirus is a very common virus.

Can cause some GI symptoms, it can

cause just generalized just fever and not feeling well.

NARRATOR These symptoms are benign

and the overwhelming majority of those infected

recover in a few days.

But in a few unlucky children, the virus affects the heart.

That virus causes an immunologic reaction

where your body starts attacking those heart

cells for some reason.

NARRATOR However, locating the dying heart cells

and confirming a myocarditis infection can be a challenge.

DR. G Myocarditis can be very spotty in that heart.

You really need to look for it in multiple sections

in the heart.

NARRATOR Normally, three or four samples

from different parts of the heart

are enough for a microscopic exam.

But if Jerra had myocarditis, it's

possible that those previous samples had missed it.

DR. G So what I do is I go back to my stock bottle

and pull out the part of the heart that I saved

and I take more sections.

[music playing]

NARRATOR Armed with more than

new slides made from those sections,

Dr. G returns to the microscope.

Her mission?

To find the telltale sign of myocarditis,

individual dying cells.

But one slide after another reveals only

large groups of dying cells.

This is not a sign of myocarditis,

but yet another effect of prolonged CPR.

DR. G Her blood wasn't getting to the heart enough,

and so some of the muscle cells are dying because she's

living for so long.

NARRATOR Could Doctor G's theory be wrong?

With each slide she examines, the answer seems to be yes.

Then--

[music playing]

Lo and behold, I saw it.

DR. G Right there on one of the last slides,

she can clearly make out the effect of the Coxsackievirus

on Jerra's heart.

Where you just have one more muscle cell dying,

and this is surrounded by inflammatory cells,

white cells, and that's the myocarditis.

NARRATOR The myocarditis is captured on several more

of the remaining slides.

At last, after weeks of investigation,

Dr. G has no doubt what took this

year old's life so suddenly.

[music playing]

It's the most beautiful day of the summer,

and Jerra Kirby is splashing it up at an Orlando water park.

But inside her body, a w*r is raging.

Somehow she's become infected with the Coxsackievirus.

She probably caught the-- the virus, you know,

a couple days earlier and started

having symptoms that afternoon.

NARRATOR Most children with the Coxsackievirus experience

nothing more than fever and fatigue.

But in Jerra's case, the infection

takes a serious deadly turn.

Probably infected the heart cells,

which then sets up an immunologic change

in the heart cells.

NARRATOR One by one, the cells begin dying.

The dead tissue starts impeding the heart's

regular b*at until Jerra is on the brink

of going into arrhythmia.

Then, in the arms of a concerned lifeguard, it happens.

DR. G She can't pump, and she collapses, and her body

doesn't get enough blood.

NARRATOR Jerra's heart can no longer b*at on its own

and she dies, a rare victim of a common virus.

[music playing]

Give her a call.

NARRATOR Dr. G reaches out to the mother once again,

this time with a clear answer to Jerra's death.

The findings bring a measure of relief,
[ … ]

but also raise more troubling questions.

If you found out early enough, was there something

that you could do about it?

You know, was there any type of medication for it.

And she said, basically, no.

Nothing was going to help.

That's right.

So it was still difficult even hearing the results.

This is a common virus.

It can-- it infects, you know, tons and tons of people

all the time.

You cannot prevent it.

Why is it on some people that it causes myocarditis?

Nobody really knows.

STORMETTA The pain, you know, is

sometimes still overwhelming.

I just try to live and-- and I ask God for strength and peace.

NARRATOR For Dr. G, Jerra Kirby's case is almost closed.

But she must still complete one more task.

Oh, that's great.

I don't have my glasses.

Where the heck are they?

OK, I got the autopsy report, press release.

I can't believe we have to do this.

NARRATOR In response to unrelenting requests.

She holds a press conference to explain the official cause

of Jerra's death, myocarditis, inflammation of the heart,

which appears to be caused by a virus.

Is there anything that could have been done, for example?

Kids get viruses.

That's part of life.

I mean my child, today, he had a fever,

and it sounded like he had a viral generalized conditioned.

How could I have prevented it?

I make the kid wash his hands all the time.

The only thing you can do is-- is--

is take good care of yourself to try to,

you know, not to be tired, eat right, the same all yada yada

that the doctor tells you, just so you

have a good immune system, and you

don't get viruses in general.

[music playing]

NARRATOR Coming up next, Dr. G investigates the sudden death

of a young widow.

She doesn't have any clothes on except for her sandals.

NARRATOR Was she r*ped and m*rder*d or was she a victim

of her own inner demons?

It was pretty frequent that she would eat them pills.

NARRATOR When "Dr. G Medical Examiner" returns.

[music playing]

Hey, sweetie, you have a good day, OK?

OK, I love you.

You got everything?

NARRATOR It's another sunny day in Orlando,

and Dr. Jan Garavaglia has taken the day off

to catch up on some housework.

Laundry is my hobby.

It's never done.

NARRATOR Her time alone is precious.

As chief medical examiner in the district,

Dr. G's work at the morgue never lets up.

That's because death never takes a day off.

In just the few hours she's away,

more than , people will die in the US,

some will die suddenly under suspicious circumstances,

requiring a full autopsy.

Among Doctor G's cases, one such woman was found naked and dead

in a deserted driveway.

Her name is Eva Phillips.

[music playing]

Back at work the next morning, Dr. G learns the case details

from the investigator's report.

Oh, all the data here is interesting.

NARRATOR At years old, Eva Phillips was a vibrant woman

with a knack for telling jokes.

More jokes than you can imagine.

She would fax them to me, email them,

she would call me on the phone long distance

to tell me the latest joke.

NARRATOR Widowed at a young age,

she'd been living for the past few years

on an isolated ranch far outside of town.

The open grounds made for a perfect oasis, an escape

from sad memories and plenty of space

for her favorite activity, driving around on her ATV.

It was very quiet, very peaceful, beautiful scenery,

and she just loved being out there.

NARRATOR But on the day of her death,

the scene is anything but peaceful.

At around PM, her brother pulls into the driveway

in the sweltering heat.

It's his birthday, and he's ready to cr*ck open

a few beers with his sister.

But as he gets out of the car, he

spots something odd on the other side of Eva's ATV.

His heart sinks at the site.

There, naked on the ground, is Eva's dead body.

What was odd about it is she's outside,

she doesn't have any clothes on except for her sandals,

and dead right there.
[ … ]

And so that's a little disconcerting.

NARRATOR When investigators arrive,

they find no clear cause of death,

and immediately treat the area as a crime scene.

They covered her hands to look for trace evidence

in case we did find trauma.

NARRATOR Devastated by the sudden death,

the family helps police in their search

for other possible culprits.

Eva suffered from migraines.

She would actually be very ill with them.

NARRATOR At times associated with strokes,

migraines are often triggered by food,

chemicals, and bright lights.

But some in Eva's family feel there could be another reason

behind the headaches.

It's like she used it as an excuse to get-- to get drunk.

Every time you'd catch her with a Coke can,

she'd make sure you didn't grab hers, because it

was % liquor, % Coke.

DR. G She does like to drink.

Now, when you like to drink, you also

may end up with some people you shouldn't be with.

And that can get you in trouble too.

NARRATOR Dr. G also discovers that Eva

had a bizarre habit involving her ATV that

may have attracted attention.

She actually likes to drive it naked.

NARRATOR Apparently, nude ATV riding was

Eva's secret to a perfect tan.

But her youngest son, a police officer,

fears it may have also led to her death.

Because there's a lot of--

that stretch of highway, you know,

people from all over the place go through there.

And--

NARRATOR Was Eva r*ped and m*rder*d?

Police are relying on Dr. G for answers.

None of us knew at this point what it could be.

I better prove this is or isn't a homicide.

OK, so we're all ready?

NARRATOR As Dr. G begins the external exam,

she immediately notes one simple truth.

Eva has no visible g*nsh*t or s*ab wounds.

Well, it doesn't take a, you know,

rocket scientist to see that, you know, that she's naked.

It's not like you know, they're hidden.

NARRATOR If Eva had been att*cked,

it would seem her assailant was careful not

to leave any obvious wounds.

But a sexual as*ault can leave very subtle signs of trauma.

Next, Dr. G carefully searches for evidence of r*pe

starting with the hands.

DR. G The bags are put to reserve any trace evidence.

And we take the bags off, the paper bags,

and we look for our trauma, evidence of self-defense,

evidence of her grabbing anything.

NARRATOR Eva's hands reveal no signs of struggle,

and her genitalia show no tearing or bruising,

no signs of forced sex.

Still, no evidence doesn't always mean no r*pe.

A lot of times with r*pe, particular if you're on dr*gs

or you're drunk, you may not see any trauma,

because maybe you're not fighting off as much.

And-- and even if you're fighting off,

we may not see much trauma.

NARRATOR Still exploring the possibility of r*pe,

Dr. G now searches for the type of trauma

most commonly associated with sexual as*ault, strangulation.

It's what we often see with like, r*pe homicides.

Normally, the first step is to examine

the neck for any bruising.

But in Eva's case, there's a major complication.

Her skin has already begun to turn color

as a result of decomposition.

Although she's probably not down there very long,

she's already showing some signs of decomposition.

And that's just purely from the heat.

NARRATOR Green and pink discoloration

makes it impossible to identify any bruises.

If Eva was strangled to death, Dr. G

will have to prove it in the internal exam.

Oh, now, wait a minute.

NARRATOR Coming up next, Dr. G battles the ruthless

effects of decomposition.

I knew that that brain is going to be soft.

It just falls apart in my hand.

NARRATOR Could be evidence in Eva's body

already be destroyed?

When "Dr. G Medical Examiner" continues.

[music playing]

Dr. G begins the internal exam with a standard y incision.

See if we find anything.

NARRATOR The decedent, Eva Phillips,

was found by her brother, naked and dead

in the driveway of her ranch.

DR. G It could be foul play.

It could be trauma.

Maybe she's just out there nude and it's a sudden death.

NARRATOR Seeing no trauma in Eva's chest cavity.
[ … ]

Dr. G focuses on her number one suspect, strangulation.

We'll look for the broken bones of the hyoid.

We'll look for hemorrhage in the muscles in the neck.

NARRATOR But the search is in vain.

She had no indication of strangulation.

She wasn't strangled.

NARRATOR The lack of external and internal trauma

in both Eva's neck and genitalia cast serious doubt on the r*pe

and homicide theories.

To completely rule them out however,

Dr. G must find out why and how Eva did die.

Her loved ones fear that the answer may lie in how she coped

with her darkest memories.

When I was years old, my dad d*ed.

He had a heart att*ck and d*ed, and

after that, that was the point where

mom started going downhill.

She had never gotten over his death, and she still loved him.

Only way she could escape it was to drink.

If I spoke with her or in the morning,

you could hear that ice hitting the glass.

NARRATOR But even after years of such abuse,

Eva's organs are in surprisingly good shape.

DR. G I'm looking at just the organs

in situ, what we call in place, and nothing seems abnormal.

NARRATOR The heart, the lungs, the kidneys reveal

no clues as to why Eva d*ed.

Then, Dr. G notices one organ with a hint of disease.

The liver is tan in color.

It's not the normal color.

And it's already starting to show evidence of fibrosis.

She's got early cirrhosis of the liver.

NARRATOR This cirrhosis, or scarring and Eva's liver,

is the disease most commonly associated with alcoholism.

But incredibly, despite Eva's heavy drinking,

the effect of this disease on her liver is minimal.

It didn't look like that would be

bad enough to cause her death.

NARRATOR Finding nothing else of note

on Eva's internal organs, Dr. G is

left with one last body part to search for answers, the head.

DR. G We get this history that she's got migraines.

Were they truly migraines or was something else

going on that was giving her headaches?

NARRATOR If Eva had suffered from an aneurysm, a fatal blow,

or an accidental fall, the inside of her head

should reveal excess blood.

But the search won't be easy.

Once the skull is open, Dr. G will have a very small window

of time in which to work.

DR. G When they're decompose, you

have to look at that very quickly, because the brain can

lose its shape very quickly.

You can see if there's blood on it.

But as soon as you touch it, it falls apart.

So you've got to get that initial look,

and you got to get it fast.

NARRATOR First, she carefully removes the top of Eva's skull,

and reaches in to inspect the brain.

And I'm taking it out, it just falls apart in my hand.

It's like trying to hold toothpaste.

NARRATOR But Dr. G does manage to get a quick look

at the brain's exterior.

There's clearly no blood there.

So that certainly ruled out like a burst aneurysm.

NARRATOR The lack of blood also rules

out a deadly fall or a fatal blow from an assailant.

And she had no evidence of trauma whatsoever.

NARRATOR Now, after the complete autopsy,

Dr. G has many answers about how Eva did not die.

So we don't really have any evidence of foul play.

We don't have any evidence of any type of accidental death.

A lot of major things have been ruled out on natural disease.

So I'm left with a naked woman, out in the middle of a farm,

and no cause of death.

NARRATOR Dr. G's final hope for an answer

lies in Eva's his blood samples.

But even the toxicology report may not provide much help.

That's because Eva's blood, like her body,

has begun to decompose.

Toxicology on a decomp person who's starting to decompose

is somewhat difficult, because your body is starting to break

down, it's releasing things into your blood,

into your fluids that's not normally there.

NARRATOR If the blood is too polluted,

Dr. G may never be able to say exactly how Eva d*ed.

Coming up next, the blood tests return and reveal

a single common drug in Eva's system.

People don't realize, if it gets high enough,

it can actually k*ll you.

NARRATOR But could this drug alone have led to her death?

When "Dr. G Medical Examiner" continues.

[music playing]

What do we have today?

NARRATOR While awaiting the blood

test results for Eva Phillips, Dr. G tackles new cases.

th stair, she's at the bottom.

He had a hemorrhagic stroke.

Maybe it's just a heart att*ck.

NARRATOR But the mystery of Eve's death
[ … ]

weighs heavy on her mind.

You just keep your fingers crossed that the tox

might have an answer for you.

NARRATOR A few weeks pass and Dr. G finally

receives the toxicology report.

At worst, she is expecting a slate of inconclusive readings.

But the report contains a shocking piece of evidence.

In this case, only one thing showed up

pretty loud and clear.

NARRATOR There are no dr*gs in Eva's body.

Instead, her blood is saturated with more than . grams

per deciliter of alcohol, more than five

times the legal definition of intoxication in the US.

She's got a very high level of ethanol, which

has alcohol, in her blood.

NARRATOR Dr. G isn't surprised to find the alcohol,

but the amount is shocking.

It was such a high level.

When you get it that high--

I mean, we're talking about alcohol

poisoning here it's so high.

NARRATOR As a medical examiner, Dr. G has seen thousands k*lled"], index ,…}

by the effects of alcohol.

Alcohol can k*ll in many different ways.

You're going to lose your inhibition.

You're more apt to commit su1c1de

if you want to commit su1c1de.

You're more apt to drive crazy and cause

accidents and k*ll yourself.

It can affect your pancreas.

It affects, of course, classically, your liver.

It can cause seizures.

So there's just so many ways it can k*ll you.

It keeps us busy in the morgue.

I can tell you that.

NARRATOR But Eva did not die from the effects of alcohol

on her behavior or the longer-term impact

on her internal organs.

She d*ed from overdosing on the alcohol itself

in a single sitting.

Alcohol is a drug.

Ethanol is as a drug.

And if you get it high enough, it can k*ll you.

NARRATOR Like morphine and Valium,

alcohol depresses the central nervous system

and affects the body's most vital functions.

Normally, a person's liver can process one drink,

about ounces of wine, or and / ounces of hard liquor

in an hour.

Too many drinks too quickly, and the liver can't keep up.

In extreme cases, the excess alcohol

cripples the central nervous system,

slowing down breathing and heart rate until the person

slips into a coma and dies.

I think a lot of people are surprised

that you can just drink enough at one sitting to k*ll you.

But you can.

NARRATOR Dr. G believes that Eva's sudden death followed

a simple, yet tragic scenario.

For years after her husband's death,

Eva numbed her grief with alcohol.

But instead of leading to an accident, fatal liver damage,

or a risky encounter, her heavy drinking

leads to another day of enjoying life

as she knew best, nude sunbathing

on her favorite ride.

Within an hour or two, Eva soaks up the sun

with a vast amount of alcohol.

At some point, she's drinking very quickly.

He's getting very intoxicated.

NARRATOR Her liver can not keep up with her rapid consumption,

and her blood alcohol level skyrockets.

The excess ethanol begins depressing the activity

of her central nervous system.

Her breathing slows, and her heart rate drops.

Soon, she slips into a coma.

DR. G Passes out right there in the driveway,

and either suffers or a respiratory depression,

a cardiac arrhythmia, or a seizure.

NARRATOR By the time her brother arrives, it's too late.

She d*ed from acute ethanol intoxication.

NARRATOR Dr. G rules Eva's death an accidental overdose.

The truly acute effects of alcohol,

where you drink yourself to death acutely,

as in this woman, we call that accidental.

I don't think she meant to do that.

NARRATOR Upon receiving the final report,

the family is devastated to learn that Eva's drinking

had taken such a fatal turn.

But we didn't know to what degree her drinking

was taking hold of her life.

Filling herself up in with alcohol

was not something I thought she'd ever do.

NARRATOR Still, they find solace in that one good thing

has come out Eva's death.

After discovering her body, her brother, also an alcoholic,

reached out for help.

He'd actually entered an alcohol rehab

program of his own free will, which I'm very proud of him

for.
[ … ]

From what I understand, he's doing well.

Doing what I do, being a police officer,

I see the effects of alcoholism.

You know, and alcohol, it can tear lives apart.

You know, it can change people's lives forever.

And I'm-- you know, I'd hate to see

anybody else go through that.

[music playing]

DR. G As I see it in my practice,

alcohol can k*ll you in so many ways.

You know, if you don't need to drink,

if you don't-- haven't started drinking, don't do it.

(SINGING) [inaudible] of this life has been a long one.

I've been a strong one.