A woman found dead near The Pie Maker Bakery back in February died of alcohol poisoning, according to an autopsy report obtained by The Journal on Friday.
Samantha Noel Yanito, 31, was found dead Feb. 27.
Police received a call just before 7 a.m. about an unresponsive woman.
The caller, Erica Ketchum, an employee at City Market, across the street from the bakery, called police after a man identified as Jason Gamel contacted her at the store, saying Yanito didn’t respond when he attempted to speak to her.
Officer Michael Rivas said he saw Yanito lying on the ground and as he approached, he noticed her skin appeared to be blue. Yanito was wearing a long-sleeve shirt, blue pants and a blanket. Rivas added that he recognized Yanito, and he notified dispatch that she was deceased after checking for a pulse.
After Montezuma County Coroner George Deavers arrived on the scene, Rivas and Sgt. Rogelio Maynard drove away from The Pie Maker, 17 N Harrison St., in an attempt to see if anyone had seen or had contact with Yanito the night before.
Just before 11 a.m., Rivas and Maynard contacted Samantha Yanito’s mother, Bernice Yanito.
Bernice Yanito told officers she had last seen her daughter the night before at the Cortez Public Library.
She said Samantha wasn’t dressed for the cold weather, as she was just wearing a long-sleeve shirt. Bernice Yanito told officers that she had daughter’s jacket.
Police also spoke to Virginia Yazzi, who said she tried to get Samantha Yanito to go with her to The Bridge Shelter the night before. However, Yanito opted to stay with a man named Daniel Lehi, who told Yanito that “he would take care of her.”
The police report was released to The Journal on April 30.
The autopsy report, which was completed Feb. 28, revealed that Yanito’s death was accidental because of acute ethanol toxicity, or alcohol poisoning.
Yanito was also found to have two diagnoses, the first being “history of being found outside” and pulmonary edema, which is a condition that causes excess fluid on an individual’s lungs.
According to the report, Yanito’s blood ethanol was 354 milligrams per deciliter. Anything above 30 milligrams per deciliter indicates alcohol consumption.
She was also found to have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.354, with a blood delta-9 carboxy THC level of 6.6 nanograms per milliliter and a blood delta-9 THC of 1.3 nanograms per milliliter. This measurement determines if a person has been using cannabis products. Anything over 1 nanogram per milliliter shows cannabis consumption.
