Jeffrey Mitchell, a man with a history of 70 prior legal offenses, passed away in a residence operated by the Peter McVerry Trust in Dublin following the intake of several substances, according to an inquest proceeding. Mitchell, age 49, had been residing in a shelter for the homeless since 2020 until his demise in November 2022.
He received a prison term of three years in 2016 due to an attack on a woman returning home following an evening with friends. There were numerous charges against Mitchell at his sentencing, portraying him as a recurrent offender with crimes including assault, armed robbery, and dealing in stolen goods.
In a recent hearing at the Dublin District Coroner’s Court, it was revealed that Mitchell was found dead during a regular safety check at Aldborough House. Nicola Laird, the team manager at the residence, testified that Mitchell was a quiet resident who kept to himself and didn’t cause considerable trouble.
Laird confirmed that residents had designated lockers where they could keep prescribed medication when asked by Coroner Dr. Clare Keane. The inquest ruled the cause of Mitchell’s death as misadventure, resulting from the cardiac and respiratory impacts of consuming multiple drugs and already existing severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The postmortem report presented by Dr. Keane revealed the presence of several substances including cocaine, heroin indicator noscapine, codeine, Lyrica, Xanax, amitriptyline, and benzodiazepines, along with severe lung disease. Notwithstanding the family’s claim of a potential overdose, Dr. Keane found no supporting evidence.
Ms Fennell raised questions regarding the cause of Mitchell’s death, as she found no convincing evidence to support the idea that it was the result of an overdose, particularly given the array of substances involved. Any one of the substances found was not sufficient to cause a fatal reaction, she stated.
Reports emerged after Mitchell’s death suggesting he had been found with a substantial quantity of heroin, however, this claim was not substantiated by Dr Keane’s investigation. Related reports also insinuated that €50,000 worth of drugs were found at the location of Mitchell’s death, nonetheless, the inquest stated no significant evidence was uncovered on site.
PC Andrew Fay of Ballymun constabulary has documented that Mitchell was known to consume drugs. PC Fay further clarified that the scene was not kept intact due to the lack of any questionable circumstances attached to the incident and the absence of any evidence of value. The lack of evidence taken was also confirmed by PC Luke Hughes following an interview conducted by Dr Keane.