New Autopsy in Fumes Case Can’t Find Cause of Death

A private autopsy of a woman who died as emergency room staff passed out around her failed to show why she died, or what gave off the mysterious fumes that apparently sickened the workers.

An independent forensic pathologist examined the body of Gloria Ramirez over the weekend at the request of her family, who were given the body Thursday after weeks of court battles.

But the findings of pathologist Richard Fukumoto did not shed much more light on Ramirez’s death--or on the workers’ sicknesses--than did the autopsy and a follow-up removal of more tissue samples that were performed by the Riverside County coroner’s office, a family lawyer said.

“There’s no physical evidence for why she died,” said attorney Ronald Schwartz.

During the two-hour autopsy, Fukumoto determined that cervical cancer, from which Ramirez was suffering, didn’t kill her, Schwartz said. But Fukumoto was not able to determine what did.

Six hospital workers were treated after the Feb. 19 incident at Riverside General Hospital, including Dr. Julie Gorchynski, who underwent knee surgery last week to correct a lack of circulation that is killing her bone tissue.

The county has not released autopsy results pending the conclusion of its investigation, which is expected in the next few weeks.

But in releasing the body to the family Thursday, county officials said they are “90% sure” they know the cause of her death--and that it probably was not linked to the mystery fumes that forced the evacuation of the emergency room.

Dr. Bradley Gilbert, the Riverside County public health officer, wrote the family that scientific and medical experts have concluded that the body does “not currently present a public health hazard” and can be handled by a mortuary in preparation for burial.

Fukumoto and his assistant took only normal precautions while examining the body, Schwartz said. County coroner’s officials had dressed in airtight suits and used oxygen tanks when they performed their autopsies.

Ramirez’s sister, Maggie Ramirez-Garcia, said family members were glad they could get answers about the body other than those provided by the county. They have accused the county of a cover-up in Ramirez’s death.