Deceased
Adam Troy Shepley
Demographics
30y, male
Date of death
2020-10-24
Finding date
2026-03-26
Cause of death
Unascertained; likely cardiac arrhythmia
AI-generated summary
Adam Troy Shepley, aged 30, died in police custody following restraint after climbing onto roofs while displaying drug-affected and paranoid behaviour. Post-mortem examination revealed an unascertained cause, likely a cardiac arrhythmia triggered by extreme physical and psychological stress, exacerbated by methadone use, methylamphetamine use, and possible underlying cardiac predisposition (prolonged QT interval). The critical clinical failing was the attending paramedic's (Mr Timmins) failure to conduct any proper assessment of the unconscious patient upon arrival at scene. He did not check airway, breathing, circulation or consciousness, did not attach a cardiac monitor despite the patient being unconscious with a Glasgow Coma Score of 3, and demonstrated no sense of urgency. This denied the patient any potential chance of survival, though expert evidence suggested survival was unlikely even with appropriate intervention. Police restraint was lawful, appropriate, and carefully monitored by officers who escalated concerns about deteriorating breathing.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.
Specialties
Error types
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Male·Hemant Chadha: acute on chronic pneumonia (mycoplasma pneumoniae). Sachintha Bat…
Two young men died after repeated ED presentations were not appropriately managed. Hemant Chadha (38) died of acute pneumonia complicated by possible neurological involvement after being discharged from Lyell McEwin Hosp…
79y · Male·Urinary tract infection with E coli bacteraemia on a background of ischaemic hyp…
A 79-year-old man with multiple comorbidities attended Whyalla Hospital ED following a fall. Paramedics documented concerning vital signs (tachypnoea, tachycardia, low oxygen saturation, fever) and a history suggestive o…
88y · Female·Acute on chronic renal failure due to dehydration on a background of Lewy body d…
An 88-year-old woman with Lewy body dementia, Parkinson's disease and congestive cardiac failure died from acute kidney injury precipitated by severe dehydration in aged care. June 2020 blood tests showed mild hypernatra…
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. Some material may have been redacted or restricted by court order or privacy requirements. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction — report an inaccuracy here.