Two US soldiers died from drugs

It has been established that the deaths of the two American Naval officers at the La Palm Hotel in Accra on New Year's Day, was as a result of a fatal cocktail of cocaine and alcohol they drank.

The two were identified as Fireman Lonnie Lee Davis Jnr. 35, and Petty Officer (First Class) Patrick Brendan Mack, 22, of Warren, Michigan, Riverdale; Georgia. Their colleague, Charles Clair Metayer, who was found unconscious, was later revived.

This was disclosed to the Times in Accra yesterday by Inspector J.B. Darkwa, Public Relations Officer of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.

He said a report from the Institute of Pathology of the Department of Armed Forces, Washington DC, USA, on the autopsy and investigative findings, attributed the deaths of the two sailors to a fatal mixture of drug and alcoholic intoxication.

An analysis of the drink showed that it contained ethanol, cocaine and opiate (heroin metabolites).

According to the report, no suicidal risk factors were identified.

The two were both permanently assigned to the USS Fort M'cHenry (LSD43), an amphibian landing dock ship with its home base in Little Creek, in Virginia
Davis and Mack, were "on shore leave in West Africa" when they died.

They were part of the crew of the African Partnership Station (APS), an initiative recently launched by the US to support regional maritime security and safety in West and Central Africa.

Their bodies were flown to Germany on January 4 at the instance of US officials for post-mortem, with the explanation that Germany has the best facilities to unearth the cause of death.

The bodies were accompanied by a medical officer and a detective, both of the Ghana Police Service, and US officials.