A 31-year-old man was found dead on a street in downtown Los Angeles, with authorities concluding that he died from blood loss after inflicting more than 20 stab wounds on himself while under the influence of a lethal level of drugs.
According to the New York Post, the incident occurred in the early hours of March 7, when a security guard at a nearby 7-Eleven saw the man collapse and alerted police.
Officers arrived to find the victim lying in a pool of blood with clothing scattered around the scene. He was later identified through fingerprint records as Ryan Dexter Sutherland, 31.
A report released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a suicide. The examination found multiple sharp-force injuries to his neck, chest, wrists, forearms and genital area.
Toxicology results revealed extremely high concentrations of methamphetamine and MDMA (ecstasy) in Sutherland’s system. The methamphetamine level measured 1.9 micrograms per millilitre, while amphetamine levels reached 0.24 micrograms per millilitre—amounts considered potentially fatal.
However, investigators determined that Sutherland did not die from a drug overdose. Instead, the official cause of death was massive blood loss resulting from the extensive self-inflicted injuries.
Authorities said Sutherland used a folding knife with a blade measuring about five centimetres to stab and cut himself repeatedly. The wounds included injuries to his neck, chest, upper abdomen, right wrist, forearm and genital region. The injuries to his genital area were particularly severe, exposing one of his testicles and causing what medical professionals describe as a degloving injury to the penis. His jugular vein, trachea and major blood vessels in his right arm were also damaged.
Sutherland’s aunt told investigators that he had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and had no known history of suicidal behaviour. However, she said he had struggled with long-term drug addiction and had previously undergone rehabilitation treatment.
Medical studies have shown that methamphetamine use is associated with a significantly increased risk of suicide compared to the general population.
