Ryan Marie Dockter didn't use drugs, family and friends say.
But the 29-year-old Fargo woman's death on Saturday may center on a controlled substance commonly referred to as "angel dust," authorities said Tuesday.
Preliminary information shows the drug PCP was found in Dockter's system and police are trying to figure out how it got there.
"We haven't ruled out anything," Fargo police Sgt. Jeff Skuza said. "It could be an accident. Someone could have done it to her. We don't know."
Family members took Dockter to Innovis Health in Fargo sometime Friday after she started experiencing health problems. No other details have been released.
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Dockter's father, Dennis, said he was waiting to take his daughter home Saturday when his wife called from Innovis and told him "she was going fast."
"Which totally floored me because I was under the impression that the drug would work its way through her system and we would be taking her home that afternoon," he said, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.
The exact cause of Dockter's death has not been determined, but authorities believe she died after ingesting a controlled substance sometime between last Thursday night and Friday morning.
An autopsy has been scheduled for Thursday. Authorities will have to wait six to eight weeks for toxicology results to find out what the ingested substance was.
An e-mail that surfaced in the community Tuesday alleged someone slipped PCP in Dockter's drink while she was out with friends, but Skuza said police may never know for sure.
"I don't know if we'll ever be able to determine how she ingested it," he said.
Phencyclidine, or PCP, can be snorted, smoked, injected or swallowed, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
After finding out about the drug, the family went straight to Dockter's friends - including some who were with her Thursday night and into Friday morning at public and private venues - to see if she had intentionally ingested it.
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"That's the one thing we sat down and asked right away," Dennis Dockter said.
The answer: "Absolutely not," he said.
Those friends and others have been helping the family grieve their unexpected loss. Messages of love and loss have also filled Dockter's MySpace Web site, which her father said speaks well of the daughter he was so proud of.
"It's ... been three days and I still can't believe we are living this nightmare that you are gone!" reads one message.
Those looking to get to know Dockter better or who want to remember her should look at the site, just as the family will as they wait for answers, Dennis Dockter said.
The site can be found at www.myspace.com/rdockter .
Police ask anyone with information to call (701) 241-1405 or (701) 235-4493. Information may also be left on the Fargo Police Tip Line at (701) 241-5777.
About PCP (Phencyclidine)
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- What is PCP: PCP is a synthetic chemical. Originally designed as a human anesthetic and later produced only as a veterinary anesthetic, PCP is no longer produced or used for legitimate purposes.
- What does it look like? In its pure form, PCP is a white crystalline powder that readily dissolves in water; however, most PCP on the street contains a number of contaminates, causing the color to range from tan to brown, with a consistency ranging from powder to a gummy mass.
- How is PCP used? PCP may be snorted, smoked, injected or swallowed. It's most commonly sold as a powder or liquid, and applied to a leafy material such as oregano, parsley, mint or marijuana and then smoked. It can also be sold in capsules or tablets.
- Dose: PCP is used in very small quantities with
5-mg to 10-mg considered an average dose.
- Consequences of use: Numbness, slurred speech, loss of coordination, rapid and involuntary eye movements, auditory hallucinations, image distortion, severe mood disorders and amnesia. In some users PCP use may result in acute anxiety, a feeling of impending doom, paranoia, violent hostility, and in some it may produce psychoses indistinguishable from schizophrenia.
Sources: DEA Web site, www.erowid.org
Readers can reach Forum reporter Brittany Lawonn at (701) 241-5541
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