2 concert victims had drug habit?

MANILA, Philippines – Two of five persons who died in Closeup Forever Summer concert on May 21 had a history of possible illegal drug use, a forensic expert from the Philippine National Police (PNP) said yesterday.

Chief Superintendent Emmanuel Aranas, director of the PNP Crime Laboratory, said the findings were based on the results of the autopsy and toxicological examination of the internal organs of Eric Miller, a 33-year-old American, and Kenimichi Miyagawa, 18.

The two died of multiple organ failure due to the fatal combination of illegal drugs and alcohol, he said.

“Based on the findings, Ken (Miyagawa) had fibrosis in the heart – a scar, old defects in the heart muscles. Most likely, he took the drugs but then his body overcame the effect,” Aranas said during a press briefing at Camp Crame in Quezon City yesterday.

Miller’s heart also showed the same scarring, he said.

“This (result of the autopsy) means that the two had previous heart problems. There is a possibility that this was caused by drugs. And knowing what happened, there is a possibility that they used drugs in the past,” Aranas said.

Fibrosis, a thickening and scarring of connective tissue, is a possible indication of a drug habit, according to the PNP Crime Laboratory.

The laboratory also found that the victims’ brains had an excessive amount of fluid; their lungs and kidneys were damaged and their bodies showed signs of dehydration.

Aranas said forensic experts suspect the victims may have taken different drugs, as shown by traces of different chemicals found in their organs.

“Chemists have different findings on the two. Maybe they took different drugs,” Aranas said. “Some chemicals traced on the victims’ organs are common contents of the popular party drug ecstasy.”

He said ecstasy has chemical methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDMA), which speeds up the heartbeat and eventually affects the sequence and rhythm of the blood and oxygen distribution to the brain and other organs.

“The abnormal heartbeat caused damage to the brains, causing other organs to malfunction. And this led to loss of consciousness, stupor and coma,” Aranas said.

“When Miller and Miyagawa were found unconscious, they were probably already in the stupor and coma stage,” he added.

Miller and Miyagawa were eventually declared dead in a hospital. They were earlier reported to have died of a massive heart attack, along with Bianca Fontejon, 18; Lance Garcia, 32; and Ariel Leal, 22.

Six have been arrested in connection with the deaths at the concert, where illegal drugs were reportedly distributed.

The families of the five victims are reportedly preparing a class suit against the concert organizers.

‘Something fishy’

Meanwhile, Miyagawa’s mother, Gemma, told reporters yesterday that moments after her son was brought to the San Juan de Dios Hospital around midnight on May 22, people who claimed to represent concert organizers offered to pay her son’s hospital bill.

She filed her statement before the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) Death Investigation Division yesterday.

“They told my brother they would pay the bill,” the elder Miyagawa said. “He called me up, and we refused the offer.”

While she believes it is premature to make conclusions, she accused the organizers of being negligent in implementing precautionary measures for the event.

“If they knew that this was going to happen, why make such an offer?” she asked. “There is something fishy here…They know their negligence.”

Gemma said her son’s girlfriend told her she did not see any ambulance or mobile health unit when Miyagawa collapsed outside the concert venue at the Mall of Asia concert grounds.

Miyagawa’s girlfriend said she was forced to bring him to the hospital using the car of one of their friends.

Gemma denied Aranas’ claims that scars in her son’s heart muscle indicated he may have been a habitual drug user.

“The doctor in charge of Ken’s autopsy said the vital organs were normal,” she said, but added that her son was an occasional drinker.

Aspiring cook

Gemma said her family was on vacation in Nagoya, Japan when she learned about her son’s death. She returned to the country at around noon on May 22.

She said she is still grieving over the loss of her son, whom she remembers as a cheerful teen who loved to cook.

“He really wanted to go to Italy when he graduates,” Gemma said. Ken was on his third year as a culinary arts student and focused on Italian cuisine.

She said the concert organizers must be held responsible for her son’s death, adding that she is talking to her lawyer about legal actions she can take.

Fontejon’s parents filed their statements before the NBI on Monday.