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Coroner Rules Cocaine Contributed to Death of 10-Year-Old Isaac Mansfield

A narrative verdict attributes his fatal rhabdomyolysis to mitochondrial disease complicated by cocaine exposure.

Overview

  • East London coroner Graeme Irvine concluded Isaac died from renal failure caused by rhabdomyolysis due to the combined effects of mitochondrial cytopathy and cocaine ingestion.
  • It was deemed impossible to determine how, when or in what manner the cocaine was taken, and the coroner excluded voluntary ingestion given Isaac’s disability.
  • The coroner noted suspicious elements in the evidence, including inaccuracies during an ambulance call, but said suspicion alone could not support a finding of unlawful killing.
  • Police told the court there is insufficient evidence to identify a suspect or prove a chain of causation, so no criminal case can proceed.
  • Isaac’s death was initially certified as natural until routine toxicology detected cocaine metabolites, a result flagged by his GP that led to the inquest.