Dead man on Little Howrah Beach rocks had taken experimental research drug, inquest hears

An inquest has heard a dead man who washed up on the rocks at Little Howrah Beach had taken a potentially undetectable research drug, and revealed the cause of extensive wounds.

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A CORONER has inched closer to solving the cryptic death of a man found washed up on the rocks at Little Howrah Beach.

Jeremy Dean Young, 45, was found dead in September 2019, two days after his disappearance from Bellerive, with an ulcer wound on his lower back, extensive bruising to his head and body, and high levels of the drug ice in his blood.

On Friday, Vanessa Lee Wolf – a convicted drug trafficker who sometimes supplied Mr Young with drugs – told Coroner Olivia McTaggart he’d taken an experimental research drug from another supplier before he died, which he’d said looked the same as “shard”, or ice.

Wolf, who is currently incarcerated on trafficking charges, was transported from the Mary Hutchinson Women’s Prison to the Coroner’s Court for the purposes of giving evidence.

A court has heard Jeremy Dean Young took an experimental drug before he was found on the rocks of Little Howrah Beach in 2019. Picture: Facebook

Warrane convicted drug trafficker Vanessa Lee Wolf. Picture: Facebook

Forensic pathologist Donald Ritchie, who conducted the autopsy, said if Mr Young had taken a research drug, it “absolutely” might not have shown up in his toxicology report.

He said so-called research drugs were “not used for legitimate research”, but were commonly available for purchase online as substances that had undergone modification in order to avoid detection.

“They’re used by illicit drug labs, which tweak the drug in order to hide them,” he said.

“They will often tweak it in order to change its chemistry just enough to make it undetectable in drug screens.”

He said fentanyl – a synthetic opiate – was commonly tweaked and distributed as a “research drug”.

Dr Ritchie said it was worth noting that an antidepressant was found in Mr Young’s blood, and that it was a substance notorious for interacting poorly with the drug ice and causing irrational behaviour and a potentially-fatal condition known as serotonin toxicity.

“They’re a very bad combination,” he said.

Dr Ritchie said it was unlikely the wound on Mr Young’s back had been caused by a gun or knife wound, but instead was likely the type of skin lesion found in chronic ice injectors.

He also said the bruises on Mr Young’s head and body could have been caused during his “delusional” pre-death state or from when he came into contact with the rocks on the beach.

“I don’t think another person was involved in his death,” he said.

“I don’t think the injuries he sustained were induced by an assault.”

Wolf, describing Mr Young as “a happy, genuinely good person” and “a gentlemanly bloke”, said one of their mutual female associates had been using him.

Wolf also said there were discussions between her and the woman about Mr Young wanting a gun in the lead-up to his death.

On Thursday, the inquest heard that Mr Young had become increasingly paranoid and delusional before his death, had barely slept in the two weeks prior, and had taken high levels of the drug ice intravenously.

Ms McTaggart said she would hand down her findings at a date to be determined.

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