STAT

A medical mystery: How can gunshot wounds cause death decades later?

Cases of death from a decades-old injury draw headlines but medical examiners say they aren't all that rare, though they can be hard to investigate.
Source: Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images

Last month, the Palm Beach County medical examiner made a fairly routine finding. In studying the death of Pahokee, Fla., resident John Henry Barrett, who died in May at the age of 77, it determined that his cause of death was homicide. There’s just one catch — Barrett died of sepsis, and was shot nearly 60 years ago.

To the average person, it’s an unusual-sounding case, but Dr. Reinhard Motte,

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from STAT

STAT2 min read
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About Amylyx Pulling Its ALS Drug, GLP-1 Drugs For Parkinson’s, And More
Amylyx Pharmaceuticals will take its ALS drug Relyvrio off the market in the U.S. and Canada, ending a multi-year saga for patients with the rare neurodegenerative disease.
STAT2 min read
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About An OptumRx Contract, 340B Dispute Resolution, And More
Cardinal Health announced its pharmaceutical distribution contracts with UnitedHealth's OptumRx unit will not be renewed after they expire in June.
STAT1 min read
USDA Faulted For Disclosing Scant Information About Outbreaks Of H5N1 Avian Flu In Cattle
With 28 herds in eight states infected with H5N1 bird flu, scientists are calling on the U.S. to release more data to help them assess the risk.

Related Books & Audiobooks