Toxicology results in the death of a local man who was found unresponsive in a car at a Taylorsville gas station show he had a large amount of fentanyl in his system.
Bartholomew County Coroner Clayton Nolting said the toxicology results for Christopher A. Purdy, 33, Columbus, who was pronounced dead Aug. 23 at Columbus Regional Hospital, were one of the highest amounts of fentanyl in a toxicology screen that the coroner’s office has seen in some time. Purdy’s death has been listed as accidental.
In addition to fentanyl, which is a synthetic opioid pain reliever that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, there were other substances found in Purdy’s body, according to the coroner’s office.
The toxicology screen showed the presence of:
Diphenhydramine, an antihistamine which is the active ingredient in Benadryl
Xylazine, a common veterinary sedative used for large animals, such as cattle
Alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax, used to treat anxiety disorders, panic disorders, and anxiety
Clonazepam, used to treat seizure disorders and certain types of anxiety disorders
4-Anpp, an intermediate in the synthesis of fentanyl and related opioids often found as an impurity in fentanyl
Nolting said the 4-Anpp is a rare finding and it is unusual to find it detected in overdose cases locally.
The investigation of the circumstances of Purdy’s death were turned over to the Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team after Purdy was found in a vehicle at the Circle K in Taylorsville on Aug. 23.
Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department deputies were notified at 4:25 p.m. Aug. 23 that an intoxicated driver was at the 78 mile marker of southbound Interstate 65, said Sheriff Matt Myers.
A witness gave a description of the vehicle, telling dispatchers it was swerving into and out of the slow and fast lanes on I-65, and had almost hit another vehicle, Myers said.
The witness said the female driver, later identified as Emily A. Clarence, 27, 10461 W. Grandview Drive, Columbus, appeared to be nodding off and at times was swerving on and off the interstate’s shoulder.
Clarence exited the interstate at the Taylorsville exit and went to the Circle K, where deputies attempted to speak with her, Myers said. Clarence appeared to be falling asleep and had a cellphone in her hand, Myers said.
Deputies tapped on the window and Clarence told them she was trying to connect her phone to Wi-Fi, Myers said.
A male passenger, later identified as Purdy, was in an odd position lying on the car seat, and was pale and had blue spots on his back where his T-shirt had moved, Myers said.
Deputies determined he was not breathing and called for an ambulance while administering two doses of Narcan and administering CPR, Myers said.
Purdy was later pronounced dead at the hospital by the coroner’s office, Nolting said.
When Clarence was questioned, she told deputies that she had gone to Greenwood to pick up Purdy to bring him back to Columbus, and thought he was overdosing, but that he “would come out of it” as he had done at other times, Myers said.
Due to the deputies’ observations, Clarence was arrested on a preliminary charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated — drugs, and has since been released from the Bartholomew County Jail, jail officials said.
The 2019 overdose death totals with Purdy’s death are now at 10 in Bartholomew County this year.
