ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jan Garavaglia has concluded the "mystery" substance that killed an Orange County teen in February was a drug used in bath salts.
Newly released autopsy and toxicology records obtained by Local 6 show there were traces of the drug found on a $10 bill a group of teens were using to snort the substance.
Krystopher Sansone, 17, died as a result of an overdose at a home in the Vista Del Lago subdivision in the Four Corners area in February.
"Each time these kids use these drugs, it's their own experiment," said Garavaglia. "We don't know how they breakdown, we don't know how long they stay in the system, we don't know how stable they are."
Garavaglia noted in her autopsy report that the drug was not found in Sansone's blood, but that may be a result of the difficulty to track the substance once it's broken down in the body. She concluded, based on the residue found on the bill, that Sansone and the teens were using the drug known chemically as 2, 5-Dimethoxy-N-(2-Methoxybenzl) phenethylamine derivative (NBOMe).
"Kind of like the bad effects of cocaine and LSD together, they're very dangerous," said Garavaglia. "We were able to find the chemical off the $10 bill that they inhaled the drug, through."
Three other teens were hospitalized as a result of the overdose and were later released.
"They're labeled as bath salts they're labeled as plant food labeled as pipe cleaners. With a wink and a nod that no these are sold in these little packets to get high from," added Garavaglia. "We've had quite a few deaths now. A handful here just in Orlando from these bath salts. All four of these kids had bad effects from it."
Deputy Ginette Rodriguez, spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office, told Local 6 the agency will not pursue homicide charges in the case. The narcotics unit continues to investigate.
Stay with Local 6 and ClickOrlando.com for more on this developing story.