Found Deceased CO - Adam Gilbertson, 29, Denver, 14 Dec 2017

[anonypotomous]

Oh gosh. My heart just broke all over again.

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[ArbyBenton]

From the Find Adam Ronald Gilbertson Facebook page: “Our family has received information from the Denver coroners office that Adams death has been ruled accidental. Our family wants to thank everyone for their kindness, continued support and privacy during this very difficult time.”

 

[Kittybunny]

Given the drugs in his system and the high alcohol level (.162), and pants being unzipped, perhaps while relieving himself (not sure if zippers will open through decomposition bloating) and slight contusions on his legs and arms that could easily be from a fall down the embankment near where he was found, accident seems more likely than suicide to me now, though not sure if the contusions could be postmortem? A subgaleal hemorrhage on the back of the head is presumed to be a decomposition effect, not from injury.

Not sure if some of the pain drugs could be for underlying medical issues that were listed as part of his history, including pancreatitis at some point and strep throat (June 2017.) I was not expecting that he would have drugs in his system that would be enough to impact death, nor that he was as drunk as it seems he was.

All that could still have influenced him toward suicide, but no history of depression was noted. That out-of-character candle video could have just been part of the drug cocktail effects.

A sad end to such a sweet guy. I stop across from his memorial pretty much every time I bike along the South Platte trail, including today. I seem to have passed beyond the grieving stage now, but I still think of Adam every day and wish that night had turned out differently, or that time could be rewound to change it, but that is not the universe we live in.

First of all, hugs to you and thank you so much for caring enough to follow up and share this with us.

Re: what I bolded above, I doubt that he would still be on pain meds for strep, pancreatitis is possible I suppose, but given that the COD was related to toxicity from the combo of drugs and he had been out partying that night (No judgement form me though, he was young and hardworking and had a right to have fun), I lean away from that.

Because I was curious, the class of Amphetamine drugs includes meth, crystal meth, but also Adderall and Ritalin. I moonlight at a gay club and crystal meth is a big drug of choice. Adderall or Ritalin is also abused recreationally by many as it's quite an upper if you don't have ADHD. Regardless that's quite a cocktail of stuff to have in your system and the reactions can be quite unpredictable. Two uppers, coke and amphetamines, with two downers, Vicodin and alcohol (0.168 is fairly high).

Prayers for Adam's family. No matter what the outcome, it was going to be difficult but at least they have answers and don't have to start down paths that seems more difficult to me - that it was suicide, or worst, that someone murdered their beloved son.

 

[dspdenver]

I doubt that he would still be on pain meds for strep, pancreatitis is possible I suppose,

I was thinking more on the possibility that he became dependent on hydrocodone during the pancreatitis treatment, but no indication when that happened. He also had acid reflux disease, which can be painful. But amphetamines and cocaine were surely from partying. Deferring to the report that the drug levels were high enough mixed with alcohol (.162) to contribute to/cause death. They also noted urine retention, which fits with what I've heard of so many men falling into water when urinating.

 

[ProfessorFox]

Given the drugs in his system and the high alcohol level (.162), and pants being unzipped, perhaps while relieving himself (not sure if zippers will open through decomposition bloating) and slight contusions on his legs and arms that could easily be from a fall down the embankment near where he was found, accident seems more likely than suicide to me now, though not sure if the contusions could be postmortem? A subgaleal hemorrhage on the back of the head is presumed to be a decomposition effect, not from injury.

Not sure if some of the pain drugs could be for underlying medical issues that were listed as part of his history, including pancreatitis at some point and strep throat (June 2017.) I was not expecting that he would have drugs in his system that would be enough to impact death, nor that he was as drunk as it seems he was.

All that could still have influenced him toward suicide, but no history of depression was noted. That out-of-character candle video could have just been part of the drug cocktail effects.

A sad end to such a sweet guy. I stop across from his memorial pretty much every time I bike along the South Platte trail, including today. I seem to have passed beyond the grieving stage now, but I still think of Adam every day and wish that night had turned out differently, or that time could be rewound to change it, but that is not the universe we live in.

The quoted autopsy report - or at least the portion shared- says nothing of pants being unzipped. Is this factual or just speculation? Seems it of place since the quote stated items very specific to actual causes of death and then you state some omniscient detail...

 

[ProfessorFox]

Where are you getting his blood alcohol level? Also not provided in the except if the autopsy...

 

[Mica]

Where are you getting his blood alcohol level? Also not provided in the except if the autopsy...

Perhaps there is more information from the autopsy report that dspdenver didn’t post? Looks like just a small excerpt from the autopsy report was posted. JMO

 

[dspdenver]

Perhaps there is more information from the autopsy report that dspdenver didn’t post? Looks like just a small excerpt from the autopsy report was posted. JMO

Yes, I only quoted the summary opinion. All other information was in the body of the autopsy report. He was fully clothed, pants buttoned/belted, but unzipped. Shoes and socks. No jacket was listed as clothing, but I remember the searcher who found Adam said his clothing matched the missing person flyer, so perhaps that was removed at the scene before he was put in the body bag? Personal effects were absent, per the report, so not sure if police recovered a wallet or his phone.

I was afraid they might include photos in the autopsy report, but thankfully not.

Only 35 grams of the heart remained after decomposition. A portion of the right lung was identified, 220 grams, no left lung, so that is why they could not specify drowning with certainty. I had wondered earlier whether after so long before being found they could determine he drowned. Most of the internal organs as well as most of the rib cage were absent or too decomposed to identify, consistent with postmortem changes, per the report.

Bloodwork was taken from his leg:

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)------- 0.162
Amphetamine----------------------------------- 420 ng/mL
Dihydrocodeine / Hydrocodol Free-------- 6.1 ng/mL
Hydrocodone - Free--------------------------- 260 ng/mL
Hydromorphone Free------------------------- 1.7 ng/mL

Cocaine use was determined through the urine sample: Presumptive Positive.

Hope this helps answer any questions.

 

[Mica]

Autopsy report for Adam Gilbertson released by Denver Office of the Medical Examiner

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/ne...ased-by-denver-office-of-the-medical-examiner

 

[anonypotomous]

".. Gilbertson died “as a result of the combined toxic effects of alcohol, hydrocodone (an opioid pain-killer), and amphetamine in combination with possible fresh water drowning, with a significant contributing condition of recent cocaine use.”

So, they're basically saying he died because of all the drugs and alcohol. That's a bad mix; it looks like he could have overdosed even if he had made it home. I'll never understand why bright and successful young people still do drugs, drink to excess, etc.. [emoji852]️

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[Steelslady]

Oh gosh. My heart just broke all over again.

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Devastating, but yet a relief that no foul play was involved and that he didn't kill himself. I never felt he killed himself, it just didn't seem like something that he would do to his family, causing pain, hurt, guilt, etc without a note at least.

God Bless the Gilbertson family, and thank you for sharing not only this news of his death, but also sharing Adam with us all. I'll always remember Adam and his wonderful family. God speed healing to them all. :rose:

 

[margarita25]

Autopsy report for Adam Gilbertson released by Denver Office of the Medical Examiner

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/ne...ased-by-denver-office-of-the-medical-examiner

"According to the autopsy report obtained by Denver7 from the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner, Gilbertson died “as a result of the combined toxic effects of alcohol, hydrocodone (an opioid pain-killer), and amphetamine in combination with possible fresh water drowning, with a significant contributing condition of recent cocaine use.”

Gilbertson’s manner death was ruled an accident."

*****

Coroner's report was emailed to me. This is the Opinion listed as cause of death:

"Based on the examination findings and history available to me at this
time, it is my opinion that Adam Gilbertson, a 29-year-old male, died
as a result of the combined toxic effects of ethanol, hydrocodone, and
amphetamine in combination with possible freshwater drowning, with a
significant contributing condition of recent cocaine use. The manner
of death is accident."

*****

Yes, I only quoted the summary opinion. All other information was in the body of the autopsy report. He was fully clothed, pants buttoned/belted, but unzipped. Shoes and socks. No jacket was listed as clothing, but I remember the searcher who found Adam said his clothing matched the missing person flyer, so perhaps that was removed at the scene before he was put in the body bag? Personal effects were absent, per the report, so not sure if police recovered a wallet or his phone.

I was afraid they might include photos in the autopsy report, but thankfully not.

Only 35 grams of the heart remained after decomposition. A portion of the right lung was identified, 220 grams, no left lung, so that is why they could not specify drowning with certainty. I had wondered earlier whether after so long before being found they could determine he drowned. Most of the internal organs as well as most of the rib cage were absent or too decomposed to identify, consistent with postmortem changes, per the report.

Bloodwork was taken from his leg:

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)------- 0.162
Amphetamine----------------------------------- 420 ng/mL
Dihydrocodeine / Hydrocodol Free-------- 6.1 ng/mL
Hydrocodone - Free--------------------------- 260 ng/mL
Hydromorphone Free------------------------- 1.7 ng/mL

Cocaine use was determined through the urine sample: Presumptive Positive.

Hope this helps answer any questions.

Thank you for the updates.

 

[dspdenver]

"That's a bad mix; it looks like he could have overdosed even if he had made it home. I'll never understand why bright and successful young people still do drugs, drink to excess, etc..

I had based so much of my suicide speculation on Adam not being very drunk his last night, and drugs had not entered into it at all based on my reading of his online life. But given the level of alcohol mixed with the drugs, it is much more likely he wandered the wrong way after leaving the Syntax bar, or some stray notion took him toward the river, rather than any depressive thoughts that the candle video suggested to me. And leaving his keys at home could have been the norm when walking to the bars near where he lived, especially if he often got that drunk.

I have no idea from the hydrocodone level whether that could have been simply from getting home from work that day and taking a pill as normal for pain relief (no indication in the ME report that he had a prescription) or if he popped several pills before going out. It seems obvious now that he drove home drunk after the Lyft ride from Charlie's to his car, but whether that was a normal act or one influenced by the drugs in his system, who knows. I am kind of assuming the cocaine may have been ingested at the private party at The Triangle where his phone pinged around 9 PM; a person posted they were a photographer for an event that night which Adam attended, and I suspect that private party might have been it due to the time gap before he got to Charlie's bar.

I saw a post made just after he was found where the person said Adam was part of his friend's group of heavy drinkers/partiers. It is very easy to get drawn into such behavior when it is normal for your group, and being new to Denver, Adam may not have had the chance yet to find his place. Certainly at that age I drank too much even without the encouragement of many friends, and if I had made friends that also indulged in party drugs, I probably would have followed suit, even though the few times I tried any I mostly had poor reactions of social withdrawal and paranoia and didn't like the way I could not trust the way I was experiencing the world, so I limited myself to alcohol, and even then sometimes drank enough to lose my way after bar time.

The autopsy report had no info on whether there were signs of long-term drug use from hair or nails, just the earlier data I posted, with no other "positive findings of toxicological significance," so don't know if they even tested for that data to determine if Adam had been indulging for some time. Certainly there was no indication it had affected his professional life that I know of.

I still wonder about the October FB post he made about everything changing last Aug. 2nd, and rather than some specific incident, perhaps he was referring to that date as his beginning in Denver, and looking back at that being the trigger to party behaviors that he recognized were not healthy or were escalating compared to any such behavior he may have indulged in previously. (Just more speculation on my part, probably just as unreliable as my past speculations.)

No matter what led him to the river, the accident finding seems logical from the bruising noted to his arms and legs (though the coroner did not state a likelihood they were from a fall down the embankment near where he was found) and it is some comfort that he may not have chosen his end, but it was simply the sad conclusion to a night out that spiraled out of his control. <cry>

 

[dspdenver]

Thank you for the updates.

Given the lack of updates through the regular news media, I figured getting the autopsy report would give me information even if it was ignored otherwise. I did see a news brief in the Sunday Denver Post today giving the autopsy result, and I see Fox News in Denver has also put out a report on their website, in addition to the Denver 7 report posted earlier.

 

[Razz]

Given the lack of updates through the regular news media, I figured getting the autopsy report would give me information even if it was ignored otherwise. I did see a news brief in the Sunday Denver Post today giving the autopsy result, and I see Fox News in Denver has also put out a report on their website, in addition to the Denver 7 report posted earlier.

Are nurses drug tested on a regular basis? It would seem to me that they should be. And if the results of a drug test could get him fired or put him on suspension, why would he do it?

The cocaine and painkillers surprises me. The alcohol does not.

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[MzOpinion8d]

Are nurses drug tested on a regular basis? It would seem to me that they should be. And if the results of a drug test could get him fired or put him on suspension, why would he do it?

The cocaine and painkillers surprises me. The alcohol does not.

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They're not unless they're part of some type of disciplinary action of their license, or involved in some incident at work.

A common cause of pancreatitis is alcohol abuse, but it's not the only cause. But if he'd been drinking a lot on a regular basis, it could cause it.

 

[anonypotomous]

I live in CA and was shocked when my 25 year old step son told me that he knows several nurses, and found out that sadly, they all use cocaine. Yikes. The fact that it was so prevalent in that field freaked him out a bit.

Seeing that Adam was using too, it makes me wonder if there’s some kind of cocaine epidemic amongst young nurses.


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[ksprincess]

Are nurses drug tested on a regular basis? It would seem to me that they should be. And if the results of a drug test could get him fired or put him on suspension, why would he do it?

The cocaine and painkillers surprises me. The alcohol does not.

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Depends on where you work. Most places I've worked drug test on hire and then only if a narcotic comes up missing. Other places test randomly.

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[Philigumbo]

Depends on where you work. Most places I've worked drug test on hire and then only if a narcotic comes up missing. Other places test randomly.

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Or if someone reports you seemingly impaired at work.

 

[Philigumbo]

I live in CA and was shocked when my 25 year old step son told me that he knows several nurses, and found out that sadly, they all use cocaine. Yikes. The fact that it was so prevalent in that field freaked him out a bit.

Seeing that Adam was using too, it makes me wonder if there&#8217;s some kind of cocaine epidemic amongst young nurses.


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We see more issues with alcohol with younger nurses. I was surprised, as well, by the toxicology. He was putting his whole career on the line. As a hospice nurse, he had access to all his patients medications, not that he took them. But hospice patients have multiple meds in the home that I won&#8217;t name here in an open forum. Powerful meds. I&#8217;ve said before, hospice nursing is a difficult field and, emotionally, you need a strong support system. Adam seemed alone in his new city.