Coroner’s inquest held for cruise ship passenger
A coroner’s jury returned a verdict of suicide after hearing evidence of circumstances surrounding the death of a passenger aboard the cruise ship Liberty of the Seas on 21 January, 2010.
The inquest was held in Cayman because the vessel was anchored in the vicinity of the Royal Watler Terminal, George Town, when Jason Scott MacDonald, 37, was pronounced dead by the ship’s chief medical officer around 11.30am. Bodden Shipping Company, the local agent, was contacted and that office in turn notified police.
Officers boarded the ship by 1pm along with government pathologist Dr. Cheryl Reichert. The police report submitted to Queen’s Coroner Margaret Ramsay-Hale indicated Liberty of the Seas left Miami on Sunday 17 January 2010 for a Caribbean cruise to celebrate gay pride.
Police officers, led by Detective Inspector Lauriston Burton, found that Mr. MacDonald’s cabin had been sealed to protect its integrity.
Mr. Burton contacted the US Federal Bureau of Investigation to request approval to enter the cabin. An FBI agent in the Bahamas gave the approval.
Among items found in the cabin bathroom were medicine bottles, an empty wine bottle and a note addressed to Mr. MacDonald’s travel companion.
It said, “I’m sorry … You’re the most beautiful soul I ever met. I’m unfixable.”
Laboratory analysis later confirmed that one of the items found was ecstasy, also known as MDMA, which is an illegal substance in Cayman.
Ms Reichert’s autopsy report included information she received after contacting the office of Mr. MacDonald’s regular physician, whose name was on a prescription bottle. A lab report dated 4 January, 2010, confirmed Mr. MacDonald was HIV-positive.
His companion said he was aware of that fact. He gave officers a summary of difficulties the couple had from the time the cruise sailed on the Sunday night until the Thursday morning Mr. MacDonald died. On the Wednesday night, he said, Jason complained that he wasn’t feeling the high because everybody was having a good time and he wasn’t. The high would have been from the ecstasy Jason was taking, his companion said.
On the Thursday morning, he told Jason he was moving out of the cabin and staying with other friends. When he went back around 11am to get the rest of this things, he heard loud music coming from the cabin. He thought Jason was in the bathroom taking a shower or doing drugs. He turned down the music to let Jason know he was there. When he didn’t hear water running or any other sounds, he became concerned. He lay on the floor and looked under the bathroom door and saw Jason on the floor. The door was locked from the inside and he couldn’t get it open. He called a friend, who broke the door. They pulled Jason out into the larger room. He was unresponsive and they phoned for help.
The companion was first interviewed on board. He was then brought ashore and stayed on Island for two days to assist police.
Officers confirmed there was no evidence of any struggle in the cabin or bathroom and the post mortem examination showed no marks of violence on the body that would be consistent with a struggle.
Ms Reichert’s autopsy reported Mr. MacDonald’s prescription was dated 12 January 2010, but the bottle recovered was empty.
The drug prescribed was for anxiety and/or anxiety with depression.
There was no past history of prescription drug abuse.
“Rather, on 21 January 2010, the prescription medication appears to have been intentionally ingested and/or injected, possibly in combination with other agents including alcohol (red wine noted at scene) and a perhaps cleaning type fluid. It is noted that [this medication] is not infrequently one of those used for suicide and suicide attempts.”
Physical cause of death was pulmonary edema and haemorrhage due to acute toxic injury.
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