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Opening Arguments

Unnatural causes

So, this 46-year-old Chicago resident wins $1 million in the lottery and then dies of cyanide poisoning, which apparently is suspicious enough to warrant an investigation even in the Windy City. What caught my eye was the fact that his death was originally ruled to be "from natural causes":

No autopsy was done because, at the time, the Medical Examiner's Office didn't generally perform them on people 45 and older unless the death was suspicious, Cina said. The cutoff age has since been raised to age 50. After the basic toxicology screening for opiates, cocaine and carbon monoxide came back negative, the death was ruled a result of the narrowing and hardening of coronary arteries.

What the hell? If you drop dead in the street, it's considerered "natural" if you're 50. 50? Really? Usually when I read something that makes me feel really old, it's a story about some 20-something punk who's whining about something stupid. This one sure did the trick, though.

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