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Comment by vmception | Hacker News Reader

Agreed, and the toxicology report can come back with the presence of a recreational drug that is out of character for their use, masking the reality that they thought they were taking a different drug to begin with, while all options could have been tainted with fentanyl

Or nothing at all.

Or there was foul play.

Or there was foul play without the use of drugs.

Or fentanyl use was intentional.

Hoping to rule somethings out!

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This is why autopsies are a thing. The LA County Coroner is one of the biggest in the nation and their forensic pathologists have written a number of textbooks on various subtopics. Generally speaking, forensic pathologists follow a standard process specifically to make sure they avoid missing things. That said, drugs on board has a high rate of being classified as an accident. Not suicide unless they left a note; not homicide unless there’s a suspect or there’s something about the situation that precludes it (e.g. opiates on board but also gunshot to the back of the head).

Doesn't seem like any autopsy would pick up red flags if a killer just slipped some fentanyl into a victim's drink, especially if the victim had any history of drug use at all.

It’s LA so you can just step on a dirty needle. They’re scattered liberally.

That almost certainly wouldn’t kill you - at least not from the opioid. For a personal anecdote, I’ve stepped on a carfentanil dart at a nature preserve that was not properly disposed of and didn’t die. Given how much stronger carfentanil is, I am skeptical that an insulin syringe needle and the extremely small amount of fentanyl that would be on the tip alone could be enough to kill someone. (That being said, I’m also skeptical of all of the “cop faints from fentanyl powder absorbed through skin” claims too.)

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