03x01 - Dangerous Forces
Posted: 02/26/24 12:46
[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 died 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 died
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 died 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 died 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 died 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 died 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 beat 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 beat 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 crack 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 died.
He had a heart attack and died, 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 died.
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 died.
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 attack.
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 died 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 died 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.
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 died 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 died
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 died 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 died 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 died 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 died 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 beat 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 beat 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 crack 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 died.
He had a heart attack and died, 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 died.
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 died.
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 attack.
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 died 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 died 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.