How a grandfather consumed a fatal dose of the hard-to-get poison strychnine will remain a mystery after a coroner investigated his death.
Douglas Thrift, 71, was found unconscious at his rural home in Denham, in the Hunter region of New South Wales, on the afternoon of December 1, 2018, after returning from playing a round of golf.
The “very unusual” discovery of strychnine in his system at the time of his death sparked a major police investigation.
That investigation could not determine whether the poison was consumed voluntarily or administered by a third party.
An investigation in May looked into factors including Thrift’s relationship with his wife and three children, and his long struggle with alcohol.
Investigators have not been able to determine how 71-year-old Douglas Thrift (pictured) came to ingest strychnine, a rare poison.
Deputy State Coroner Carmel Forbes concluded that it was not possible to determine the manner or circumstances of Mr. Thrift’s death beyond strychnine toxicity as the cause.
“The circumstances surrounding Mr. Thrift’s death and how he came to ingest strychnine remain unclear,” he said in findings delivered Wednesday.
Police were initially unable to locate the poison on his property and more than four years later officers carrying out a search under coronary warrants found a dusty bottle of toxin in a shed near his home.
Examination of the bottle found Mr. Thrift’s DNA on the mouth and rim, but attempts to obtain a viable fingerprint were unsuccessful.
“Given the proximity of the bottle, the fact that strychnine is not otherwise available, and the fact that Mr. Thrift’s DNA is on the rim and mouth of the bottle, I am convinced that, considering the odds of that this bottle is the source of the strychnine that (he) ingested,” Ms. Forbes said.
“The question remains whether he intentionally took strychnine to end his life.”
The inquest was told Mr Thrift suffered from depression and had previously attempted to take his life in 1984 and 2009.
Both incidents were believed to be related to his alcohol consumption and its effect on his relationships.
“This story is significant in the fact that in this previous attempt it was in the context of intoxication, fear of losing his wife due to his drinking and it was impulsive,” the coroner said.
A major investigation was launched after Mr Thrift was found unconscious at his home in Denham, New South Wales, on December 1, 2018, and high levels of the poison were found in his system.
In an interview with police, Thrift told officers that when her husband returned from playing golf she could “smell grog on him.”
“I told him something about drinking,” he told investigators.
“He leaned forward, held my face and said, ‘I’m here for a long time, not a long time,’ then he went and went to bed.”
While it was possible Thrift had taken his life while under the influence of alcohol, the coroner said there were also a number of factors that did not support that conclusion.
These included that he had left no note or given any indication that he was despondent and that he had made plans for the future, including purchasing $100,000 worth of farm equipment.
The coroner declined to comment on other ways Thrift might have consumed the poison because of the possibility of new evidence coming to light in the future.
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