Woman who died in ambulance ‘on drugs’

Press, 11 July 1988, Page 5

Woman who died in ambulance ‘on drugs’

PA Auckland A South Auckland woman who died in an ambulance, on Saturday, on her way to hospital from the Otahuhu Police Station had earlier admitted taking drugs, the police said yester day. The dead woman was Elizabeth Estria Haney, aged 31, of Mangere She died shortly, before she was due in the Dis-

trict Court at Otahuhu for failing to appear at an earlier hearing on theft charges. Senior-Sergeant Trevor Church, of Otahuhu, said the woman was found wandering Papakura streets early Saturday and was picked up by the Papakura police and later arrested. "She did admit to the arresting officer that she

had taken some form of drugs,” he said. “We are making further inquiries to establish what sort they were and' a post-mortem examination will be performed.”

The woman was put in an Otahuhu station cell at 8.30 a.m. awaiting her court appearance an hour later. Soon after station staff found they could not arouse the woman and

a police doctor was called. Senior-Sergeant Church said the doctor advised that she should be taken to Middlemore Hospital. However, the woman’s condition deteriorated soon after she was put into an ambulance and efforts to resuscitate her failed.