A PCP overdose death in Northern Virginia.

J Forensic SciSep 1, 2026 (epub)
Case ReportPathology (Anatomic & Clinical)Preventive Medicine / Public Health

Courtney Wardwell, Carmen Coles

✦ AI-curated · Sources linked

Case in brief

A 47-year-old individual with a history of PCP use was found dead in Northern Virginia. Postmortem examination noted a “foam cone” and no trauma. Toxicology was negative in all analyses except for PCP. Because the initial result was reported as greater than 2000 ng/mL, PCP was quantified using triplicate liquid/liquid alkaline extraction and GC-MS; the mean concentration was approximately 5400 ng/mL. The cause of death was determined to be PCP intoxication, rather than behavior while intoxicated.

What made this case unusual

The measured PCP concentration was substantially higher than in other Virginia PCP cases from 2020 to 2024 and was consistent with concentrations reported in the literature for PCP fatalities.

Diagnostic / clinical pearl

In a suspected PCP-related death, interpret toxicology alongside the autopsy and other toxicology findings; here, PCP was the only detected substance and the cause of death was attributed to intoxication.

Source

PubMed · PMID 42678305

Published in J Forensic Sci. This summary was written by xxcode from the publication's abstract and metadata. It is not peer reviewed and is not a substitute for the original article. For clinical decisions, review the original publication.

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