Inquest hears from forensic experts
More experts gave their testimonies Thursday during the coroner’s inquest into Brydon Whitstone’s death, taking place at Queen’s Bench Court in Battleford this week.
A forensic specialist with the RCMP toxicology dept., Kimberly Young, said in her report when she appeared via telephone conference that the analysis into Whitstone’s bodily fluids post-mortem indicated he had methamphetamine in his system, as well as ethanol from consuming alcohol, prior to his death.
Based on the blood-alcohol level Whitstone would have been within the legal limit to drive. Young also provided the meth level but advised court it is difficult to give an accurate assessment of the levels in Whitstone’s system because essentially after a person dies the substance will redistribute in the person’s body. Basically, she said it not feasible to make any kind of assessment from the levels since it would not reflect what the individual had in his system prior to death.
When speaking to the issue of meth in a person’s system, Young did say it is a stimulant and generally it could cause a person to be more excited or, as well, act more compulsively or have confusion, depending on the amount in a person’s system as well as tolerance level.