Updated: 07/31/2013 19:39 | By Channel NewsAsia
Tourist who fell from hotel had consumed alcohol and sedatives: coroner
SINGAPORE: An American who fell from her hotel room on the 60th floor had consumed large quantities of alcohol and sedative drugs before her fall. This was among the findings of State Coroner Imran Abdul Hamid into the death of 39-year-old Cristina Oline Oudekderk.
According to the investigation report, Ms Oudekderk -- an operations and support manager -- had arrived in Singapore on May 27, 2012, on a work trip and checked into Swissotel The Stamford.
A few hours later, her body was found trapped in between the damaged aluminium roof of the Starbucks Cafe at Raffles City.
An autopsy showed that she had died of multiple injuries caused by a fall from a great height.
The state coroner said that it was "most unlikely" that Ms Oudekderk could have stumbled and tipped over the barrier on the balcony of the hotel room. This was because the barrier was about 1.15 metres high, and Ms Oudekderk was only about 1.42 metres tall.
He said evidence points to the fact that she would have had to make some effort to scale the barrier.
"It must be that she consumed the alcohol and sedative drugs in her hotel room," he added, pointing to the fact that CCTV footage showed that Ms Oudekderk had not appeared intoxicated when she checked in.
The state coroner also pointed out questions that were unanswered. For example, Mr Oudekderk's state of mind at the time, and whether she was suffering from any psychiatric conditions.
He also said it was not clear if the excessive level of alcohol and sedative drugs in her body, as shown in the toxicology report, had impaired her judgment, and pre-disposed her to falling.
Evidence had shown that no incriminating messages were found in her phone, and the investigations showed that no foul play is suspected.
The Building and Construction Authority had also inspected the balcony of the hotel room in the course of the investigations and found that it complied with regulations. - CNA/ac
