Expert witnesses in toxicology and forensic pathology who testified for the state Tuesday in the second day of the murder trial for Marcy Oglesby say poisoning by eye drops is not a particularly common occurrence.
Oglesby. 53, is accused of poisoning Richard Young with Visine and generic eye drops in 2021, then hiding his remains in a Maquon storage unit across the street from where the couple lived with Oglesby’s godmother, Karen Doubet.
“It’s a pretty recent phenomenon to see tetrahydrozoline being used other than as an eye drop,” said Dr. Sherri Kacinko, a forensic toxicologist with Pennsylvania-based NMS Labs who appeared in Knox County court via Zoom.
Kacinko said tetrahydrozoline is the active ingredient in eye drops. When used as intended, it reduces redness in eyes by constricting blood vessels.
“However, if it’s ingested it actually has the opposite effect on the body outside of the eye. It causes dilation of the blood vessels,” Kacinko said.
That can lead to a drop in blood pressure and heart rate and can cause central nervous system depression, as well as unconsciousness.
“Eventually, it can also lead to death,” Kacinko said.
Testing skeletal muscle tissue
Young’s remains were discovered in the storage unit on Oct. 7, 2022, following reports of a foul odor – and rumors that it was human remains behind the brown door and pink padlock of Unit 29 at Roberts Self-Storage.
While blood samples are preferred for toxicology, that was not possible due to the advanced state of decomposition of Young’s remains.
Under direct examination by Knox County State’s Attorney Ashley Worby, Kacinko said investigators instead sent LMS Labs a sample of skeletal muscle tissue from Young’s remains.
Kacinko’s job is not to test the samples, but to review the screenings and the confirmation tests. She said they don’t normally screen for tetrahydrozoline but were asked to in this case.
She said Young’s results showed six times the normal range of tetrahydrozoline for a blood sample. She also said there is no established tetrahydrozoline limit for a skeletal muscle tissue sample, which Oglesby’s public defenders pointed out during cross examination. Not only was the testing of muscle tissue and not blood, it was of decomposed muscle tissue, they said.
Kacinko said quantifying the concentration of drugs in muscle tissue is difficult, beyond identifying what shouldn’t be there, but the presence of tetrahydrozoline still says something.
“In order to get into the muscle at a detectable level, there would need to be a relatively significant amount in the blood,” Kacinko said.
She noted there is limited published medical research about the effects of ingesting eye drops, and none based on sampling tissue instead of blood or urine.
She said because the tetrahydrozoline in eye drops can make people lose consciousness, it’s gained a reputation as a potential substance to be used in drug-facilitated crimes.
“It’s a clear, tasteless liquid. Easy to put in someone’s drink," she said,.
Young’s toxicology results also showed four times the normal range of citalopram, an antidepressant that can be used to treat anxiety, and two different antihistamines within the normal range.
Partially mummified remains
Young’s remains were discovered inside a cardboard box and were partially wrapped in a plastic tarp and a sheet.
There was a ratchet strap around his body and a pillowcase over his head.
He was wearing underwear, socks, and a flannel shirt with a thermal shirt underneath.
That’s according to testimony from Dr. Amanda Youmans, a physician specializing in forensic pathology who performed the autopsy of Young’s remains.
Youmans said she has performed around 6,000 autopsies in her career and a couple hundred on bodies in advanced states of composition.
She testified the body was in a state of advanced putrefaction. She noted his face and scalp were mummified and the rest of his body was covered in adipocere, a waxy substance formed during decomposition of bodies in moist environments.
“Very few facial features were discernible,” Youmans said.
She also testified that nearly all of the internal organs had decomposed and the skull was full of insects.
“Only the heart could be identified,” she said.
Youmans said sections of thigh and foot bones were detained for DNA analyses and she sent leg muscle tissue for the toxicology testing.
When the toxicology results came back, she determined the cause of death – tetrahydrozoline intoxication. That was after ruling out blunt force trauma, penetrating trauma, and heart disease.
“It’s a very unusual finding. Up to this point, I’d done probably 5,000 autopsies, and this was the first time I’d done an autopsy and had this drug detected,” Youmans said.
What that tells her, she testified, is that typical ocular use of the drug has very little absorption into the blood.
In a lengthy cross examination, Oglesby’s public defender Chris Kanthak cast doubt on Youmans’ findings, saying Young could have died of COVID-19, cancer, liver disease, or a stroke – and they wouldn’t know, because all of the organs were decomposed except for the heart.
Testimony revealed that Young previously had cancer, smoked two packs of cigarettes a day for 40 years, and had not been to a doctor since 2016.
Worby also called expert witnesses to the stand to detail the process of identifying Young through DNA analysis.
At the end of the second day of trial, she presented evidence regarding Oglesby’s deteriorating financial situation in 2021 and 2022 and her use of Young’s bank accounts after he was believed to be dead.
Oglesby has waived her right to a jury trial.
The case is being heard by Judge Andrew Doyle.
Testimony will continue Wednesday,.
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