Pathologist: Maersk Alabama guards died from heroin, alcohol

   A pathologist in the Seychelles has concluded that the two security guards found dead on February 18 aboard the Maersk Alabama while it was docked in Port Victoria died of heart failure as a result of a combination of heroin and alcohol consumption.
   In a press release issued Tuesday, the Seychelles Police Force said the pathologist made the conclusion about the cause of death of Mark Kennedy and Jeffrey Reynolds, two former U.S. Navy SEAL members, after receiving the toxicologist reports of samples sent to Mauritius for further analysis.
   “The two Americans who were found in a cabin and where the police discovered and seized among others, exhibits like pills, syringes and a certain quantity of a substance which was later confirmed to contain traces of heroin,” the police said. Previously, both of the men, employees of the U.S. security firm Trident Security, were found to have died from heart failure.
   “Further forensic analysis done on stomach contents and blood samples of the two officers sent to Mauritius has revealed no trace of any poison, thus ruling out foul play. The same analysis carried out on the heroin sample discovered and seized by the police in the cabin had a purity of the heroin at 44 percent. Blood sample analysis has, as well, shown that the two men had also been consuming alcohol,” the police said.
   “After analyzing the reports from Mauritius, the local pathologist has concluded that both Reynolds’ and Kennedy’s heart failure had been as a result of a combination of heroin and alcohol consumption,” they said, adding that “the case has now been forward to the Attorney General’s office for further consultation.”