By Carl Joseph
Police investigations in the apparent drowning death of 26-year-old Potters Village resident, Tariq Simpson have now come to a close with the recent release of the young man’s pathology report.
Simpson was pronounced dead on the evening of Tuesday October 1st, 2019 at Deep Bay.
Initial reports, at the time, were that Simpson may have drowned. Soon after, however, reports of alleged drug use leading to the cause of his death soon began to surface.
Dispelling those rumors, the report dated 17th December, 2019 stated that the, “Urine toxicology done was negative for licit and illicit drugs,”
Tariq’s mother, Hildred Simpson, visibly relieved said, “we know what is out there that his death was attributed to drug use, but the report is stating that the urine toxicology was negative… So no other condition other than the condition with which he was born contributed to his death.”
The report outlined that Tariq suffered with a condition termed ‘arteriovenous malformations’ which are abnormal connections between arteries and veins “without intervening capillaries”.
The report further stated that, “These tangled connections cause abnormal [pushing and/or pulling] of the blood and high pressure channels that are at risk of rupturing.”
Hidred explained that her son was at the beach that day as a part of the therapy he was undergoing to remedy lingering joint pain he had been experiencing for some time.
“By all reports, he was fine. But then suddenly he went into a state of confusion where he was running in and out of the water and just [exhibiting] unusual behavior,” explained Hildred.
The doctor’s conclusion as to the direct cause of death was, “a rupture causing haemorrhage and unconsciousness with subsequent aspiration of the stomach contents into the lungs.”
Tariq’s mother said, now, with the release of the report that, “nothing can bring relief to the loss, because having to learn to live without him is a challenge by itself. But, having the report to clear all the misconceptions and the lies… I would say… brings relief.”