Gorge death in June not related to Molly

GEORGE - An autopsy by the Chelan County coroner determined the June death of a 21-year-old Des Moines man was related to methamphetamine not Molly.

Chelan County Coroner Wayne Harris said Patrick D. Witkowski died of organ failure because of dehydration caused by the heat as well as methamphetamine intoxication. Tests for Molly in the autopsy came back negative.

Nearly 50 people attending the two-day Paradiso Festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre were treated for drug overdose or alcohol-related illnesses. About 25,000 people attended the concert.

Following the concert, a Grant County Sheriff's Office spokesperson said the drug Molly, the powder form of MDMA, also called Ecstasy, was the drug of choice at the concert although it was not determined if the drug was to blame for the overdoses.

Michele Wurl, of the Quincy Valley Medical Center, previously said the toxicology screen of the patients does not pick up the specific drugs that caused the overdoses, especially with homemade drugs.

The majority of the patients from the festival were treated for dehydration or minor illnesses although some were fully intubated, meaning they could not breath on their own or were unconscious and unresponsive, Wurl said in June.

Grant County Undersheriff Dave Ponozzo said law enforcement has been dealing with Molly for a number of years, not only at the Gorge concerts but throughout the county.