The Lethal Cutting: An Unexpected Cause of Death—A Methomyl Acute Intoxication

Abstract

Abstract Cocaine is among the illicit substances most frequently implicated in deaths related to the use of drugs of abuse both worldwide and in Italy. Cutting agents involved in the adulterations of this substance are many, and the process of lacing can take place at various stages of the production of the drug. In this report we are discussing the case of a 27-year-old woman found dead next to her car in a wooded area in the suburban area of Milan. On the crime scene, several specimens of white powder were collected and subsequently analyzed via Q-Exactive Orbitrap with a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) system and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) analysis along with biological matrices sampled during autopsy examination. The toxicological analysis revealed that the death could be ascribed to a lethal dose of methomyl, a carbamide pesticide used as cutting agent for cocaine. According to literature, this is the first time that this substance is used as an adulterant.