For the family and friends of 16-year old Joseph Loudon, the question "Why?" may not be answered. The Orinda teen died last May, after being found unconscious at a party near his home. On Friday, December 4, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office announced the release of an amended report by the forensic pathologist on the cause of Loudon's death. The amended report states that the cause of Loudon's death is "undetermined."
In his findings, the forensic pathologist commented, "The most likely mechanism of death is asphyxia due to aspiration of gastric contents," but that there are many possible causes of this aspiration, and no medical evidence to definitively support any theory.