A Bad Trip | 3

Summary

Culpable: "A Bad Trip" | Episode 3 Summary

Podcast: Culpable
Host: Dennis Cooper (Tenderfoot TV & Audacy)
Date: September 8, 2025
Episode: "A Bad Trip" (S3, E3)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Dennis Cooper continues the investigation into the mysterious 1998 death of 17-year-old Danny Violette, found in a cornfield with suspicious injuries after being missing for 11 days. The episode explores Danny's final days, focusing especially on a Friday night involving LSD, the "acid trip" narrative, and the health crisis Danny suffered, as well as the lingering question: Was his death an accident, suicide, or homicide? Through interviews with Danny's friends, police interrogations, expert commentary, and autopsy findings, the episode methodically pieces together the night’s events and the possible motives—or lack thereof—surrounding his fate.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Police Interviews with Danny’s Friends

• Timeline Reconstruction: Investigators bring in Danny’s circle of friends (Steve, Judd, Adam, Matt) to reconstruct the events before his disappearance.
• Drug Deal Narrative: All accounts center on the group’s trip to Galleon to acquire acid (LSD), with Steve claiming the acid was fronted to Danny and he was to repay the supplier—potentially introducing a motive.
• Health Crisis: Multiple friends describe Danny behaving incoherently and suffering a seizure after taking the acid, an incident raising questions about his state and vulnerability.

“He was just like, making no sense… Think he was on anything? Yeah. What was he on? Acid. How do you know he was on acid? He told me.”
— Judd (13:34)

• Rumored Threats: After Danny went missing, Steve hears rumors—via Adam—that the drug supplier was threatening Danny over unpaid debt:

“Daddy better get the money back to him or he’s gonna beat his ass.”
— Dan Castle, retold by Steve (10:27)

2. Community Context and Local Response

• Setting: Eric, a local resident and advocate, describes Willard in the late 90s as a quiet ‘farm and factory’ town without a major drug or crime problem—typical teenage mischief notwithstanding (04:43).
• Justice for Danny Movement: Danielle and Eric have reignited local interest, with black and orange "Justice for Danny" signs visible across town.

“Since they started advocating for Danny, there’s been a resurgence of interest in his case… there’s enough [signs] spread around that it practically makes a trail leading to Danny’s house.”
— Dennis Cooper (06:41)

3. Evidence from the Crime Scene

• Initial Oversight: New items—Danny’s wallet, six ripped-up dollars, and his Michigan University T-shirt—are discovered in the cornfield after the first search, raising concerns about police thoroughness or potential evidence tampering.
• Interpretation Questions: The location and state of these items suggest possible altercation or attempts at repayment, but details remain murky.

“Why would there be a large patch of corn knocked down outside the line of harvesting? Could a fight have broken out there?”
— Dennis Cooper (22:28)

4. Interview with the Acid Supplier

• Supplier’s Account: The supplier details the night’s movements, admits Danny owed him $85, but adamantly denies involvement in Danny's death; agrees to take (and later passes) a polygraph.
• Supplier’s Theory: Claims neither he nor his associates knew Danny or would have had motive to harm him.

"I want to clarify that the acid and anything that happened to Danny had no relevancy to each other... I know that I didn’t do anything… I will gladly take any test.”
— Acid Supplier (24:18, 29:39)

5. Medical and Toxicology Analysis

• Expert Interview: Dr. Alyssa Peckham (psychiatry and addiction pharmacology) assesses Danny’s prescription history (lithium, Seroquel), toxicology findings (LSD and the anti-seizure drug Zurontin), and possible medical scenarios.
• Polypharmacy Risks: The combination of lithium and LSD dramatically increases seizure risks, and strobe lights further lower the threshold (30:33, 44:37).
• Key Findings: No alcohol, no lithium detected in toxicology, only trace LSD (consistent with ingestion at least 12–24 hours earlier), and a non-prescribed anti-seizure drug at subtherapeutic levels.
• Negative Overdose Theory: Dr. Peckham dismisses a fatal LSD overdose as unlikely.

"You don't take LSD, have a bad trip, go to sleep, wake up the next day, feel a little groggy, have everyone later on in the day report that you were fine...and then you end up dead in a cornfield. I have a hard time linking that back to LSD."
— Dr. Alyssa Peckham (45:47)

6. Alternative Theories and Autopsy Suspicion

• Autopsy Review: The manner of death is "undetermined," but the cause is asphyxia (by ligature or airway blockage). There are post-mortem abrasions suggestive of possible body movement post-mortem or a struggle.
• Expert Suspicion: Dr. Peckham and Dennis both highlight the suspicious injuries and question whether Danny’s death was solely drug-related.

"The one thing that stuck out to me is the post mortem abrasions...to me that sounds like there was another person involved in perhaps moving or manipulating the body...that's suspicious, to say the least."
— Dr. Alyssa Peckham (47:13)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Honestly, we were good kids. It’s just what people did, you know?” – Eric (04:43)
• “If it's about dope, then that's just, you know, that's the way it is. But if we can find these guys, get them in jail where they belong, that's where we're headed.” – Detective McLaughlin (16:55)
• “Was this just all good fun that went bad? I don't know but I think you have to keep an open mind for that. Cuz if you are doing acid, God knows the different possibilities.” – Unnamed Officer (48:02)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|--------------------| | 02:20 | Police begin interviews with Danny’s friends, focusing on his mental state, acid use, and group dynamics | | 05:28 | Eric describes 1990s Willard and "Justice for Danny" local activism | | 08:12 | Reconstructing the night of the acid pick-up in Galleon; last sighting of Danny post-Friday night | | 13:24 | Judd Interview: Reconfirms timeline, notes Danny’s confusion after acid intake | | 15:36 | Adam Interview: Confirms acid debt, retells supplier threat rumor | | 18:12 | Matt Interview: Offers vague, noncommittal answers about the acid trip and Friday night | | 21:36 | Discovery of Danny’s wallet, ripped money, and shirt in the cornfield | | 24:18 | Detective interviews with the drug supplier; supplier’s alibi and polygraph offer | | 30:33 | Dr. Peckham discusses seizure risks with lithium and LSD combinations | | 35:57 | Dr. Peckham’s credentials and initial assessment of Danny’s medical and psychiatric history | | 39:14 | Puzzling absence of lithium in Danny’s tox report | | 41:19 | Analysis of LSD levels, dosing, and timing before death | | 43:11 | Role and possible reasons for anti-seizure drug Zurontin in Danny’s system | | 44:37 | Theory on why Danny had a seizure—drug interactions, strobe light | | 45:47 | Dismisses likelihood of LSD overdose/catalyzed death | | 47:13 | Concerns about post-mortem abrasions and their implications |

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Flow of the Episode

The episode is a slow-burn, detail-heavy investigation that balances procedural police work, testimonies, and expert insight with compassionate, community-driven perspective. It raises critical questions about drug culture, police errors, the dangers of stigmatizing mental health/substance use, and the ambiguity in autopsy findings. The episode ends not with answers, but deeper questions about motive, accident vs. homicide, and the importance of scrutinizing every aspect before drawing conclusions.

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Closing Thoughts

Episode 3 of "Culpable: A Bad Trip" draws listeners deep into the complicated web of Danny Violette’s final days, presenting thorough analysis, firsthand accounts, and expert medical opinion. While the acid-trip narrative dominates local rumor and some police theories, the evidence and expert commentary cast doubt on a simple accidental death, underscoring the need to investigate all avenues—including possible foul play. The episode sets up future explorations of forensic pathology and alternative scenarios as the search for justice continues.

Transcript

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[A]

Culpable is released every Monday and brought to you absolutely free. But for early binge access, ad free listening and exclusive content, subscribe to Tenderfoot [e-mail] or on Apple Podcasts. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the individuals interviewed and and participating in the show and do not represent those of Tenderfoot tv. All individuals described or mentioned in the podcast should be considered innocent until found guilty in a court of law. This podcast contains subject matter such as violence, drug use and other graphic descriptions which may not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

[C]

When's the last time that you saw Danny Violet? Friday night. Do you stay at your house? Yeah. What time did you leave your house? I was sleeping when he left. How was he when he got there? Bad. Okay, explain bad. He was just like, making no sense, like. Cause he's got that mental problem. Mm. Think he was on anything? Yeah. What was he on? Acid. How do you know he was on acid? He told me. Did you ever talk about old. What do you say about him? Said he was pretty cool, I guess. How much do you owe him? Do you know currently? But you don't know anybody who'd have a beef against him? Yeah, no, I never met the kid. That's why we need his friends right now. Okay. And if it was a young person that did this, he's gonna be able to find out. But another young person, well, they would know better to say something about it around us. How do you want to.

[B]

Do you want to sit in the front with Eric? You want me to sit back here?

[C]

Wherever you guys are comfortable. I'm driving.

[A]

That actually might not be a bad idea because then you're closer to her with the. On a mild summer afternoon, my producer John and I climb into Danielle and Eric's minivan to take a drive around the city of Willard. Eric used to live in the area back in the 90s when all this happened. So he asked if he could tell us a little more about the town itself and show us some of the places that relate to Danny's case. How would you describe, like, Willard area from like late 90s?

[C]

So like, I grew up out in the country and we kind of just ran and did our own thing. We didn't have a lot of supervision. It was kind of that generation of like, you know, be inside when the street lights come on. I didn't know Willard as being crime ridden or drug ridden, anything like that. There were kind of the good parts of town and the bad parts of town, but I never. I was too young at that time to really care about the details. A lot of my friends were all just smoking pot. We smoked cigarettes, we drank underage. Honestly, we were good kids. It's just what people did, you know?

[A]

Eric tells us Willard is a fairly simple and quiet town built on farmers and factory workers for teenagers. There wasn't a lot to do in the three and a half square miles that make up the town. So it's really no surprise that folks like him and Danny spent much of their time out and about with friends, getting into whatever it is the teens get into. That's how he became so familiar with the lay of the land.

[C]

There's two roads. This is Keefer, and then the next one that goes parallel with this is Main Street. Okay, this is. We're on town line 12. So the field is off of townline 12. But Kiefer, this leads you into the east side, the east side of Willard. Would you say that Willard looks pretty.

[A]

Similar now than it did back then?

[C]

Willard hasn't changed much. I mean, right now it looks like, in my opinion, like people are taking pride in their yards, taking pride in, you know, their houses and as they should. But see the justice signs? Oh, yeah. Yep.

[B]

There's a couple on the other side, too.

[A]

How many of those are floating around here?

[B]

Over a hundred.

[A]

Oh, wow. There's one over there, too.

[C]

See this up here, this clock tower?

[A]

Though Willard looks about the same now as it did back in the 90s, there is at least one stark difference, courtesy of Danielle and Eric. Since they started advocating for Danny, there's been a resurgence of interest in his case amongst the locals here, which is made evident by the freshly printed black and orange signs planted in several front lawns that read justice for Danny. They tell me they've lost count of how many they've printed now, but I can tell you there's enough spread around that it practically makes a trail leading to Danny's house.

[C]

So here's Tiffin.

[B]

This is their house, right?

[C]

Not this one.

[B]

Oh, this one with the porch.

[C]

Yeah, right here. His brother saw him go out the back door and down the alley, so that means he would have been walking this.

[A]

As a refresher, Danny ran away from his home at approximately 1:00pm on Saturday, October 24, 1998, after returning home from a night out with some friends. His brother Ross watched as Danny walked down the alleyway that runs up to their house until he was out of sight. Where he went after remains somewhat of a question mark.

[B]

Saturday is more of a mystery. Now, he's seen at the ymca.

[C]

So Danny was down this road for sure, up to the intersection, which is where the YMCA is. You know, the grocery store. This would have been Missouri's.

[A]

So the last sighting of him was allegedly here. Right. You know, was it like they had been at the store? According to police narratives, the last known sighting of Danny happened just hours after leaving his home. A person reported seeing him around 7pm near Misslers, a grocery store in the heart of town. To my knowledge, he was never seen again until the afternoon of November 4, when his body was found in a cornfield on the outskirts of town.

[B]

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[C]

Yep.

[B]

This is where it ends. And then here's the field.

[A]

After the discovery of the body, authorities, led by detective Bob McLaughlin with the Huron County Sheriff's Office started bringing Danny's friends into the station one by one for questioning. As they attempted to nail down a timeline leading up to Danny's death. Their first real lead would instead have them moving backwards to the day before he went missing. In our last episode, we heard from Steve, a friend of Danny's who shared a rather alarming story about the night of Friday the 23rd. He told McLaughlin that he and four other friends, Danny, Judd, Adam and Matt, spent that night together. And there are actually two parts to his story that we need to focus on here. First, Steve described a health scare that Danny had that night. From the sounds of it, a seizure after taking some acid that he picked up in the neighboring town of Galleon earlier that night. This is concerning for obvious reasons, which we'll get into later. However, we know that eventually those symptoms subsided and come Saturday morning, Danny, while lethargic and a bit incoherent, was technically alive and well. Meaning the seizure he had that night did not kill him. But it was the other part of Steve's story that seemed to Pique McLaughlin's interest. That trip that three of the friends made to pick up the acid. According to Steve, Danny didn't purchase those drugs. Rather, they were fronted to him and he was supposed to repay the supplier. The next day after Danny went missing, Steve said he heard a rumor through their friend Adam that the supplier of the drugs had been making threats against Danny over the debt he owed.

[C]

Dan Castle just told by yes. Oh my God. Daddy better get the money back to him or he's gonna beat his ass. Yes.

[A]

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[C]

All right, Judd, you have a middle initial or middle name? Well, my first name is Judson.

[A]

The next friend we're going to hear from is Judd. He was interviewed by Detective Terry Robinson with the Willard police, who quickly got into the events of Friday night.

[C]

When's the last time that you saw Danny, Violet? Friday night. I think it was Friday or Saturday night. Do you stay at your house? Yeah. What time do you leave your house? I was sleeping. When you left, was it on Saturday or Friday morning? What time did you get to your house? Around midnight Friday night. How was he when you got there? Bad. Okay, explain bad. He was just like, making no sense, like. Cause he's got that mental problem. Think he was on anything? Yeah. What was he on? Acid. How do you know he was on acid? He told me. Did you have any more with him? He did then, but I don't know if he does. Did you ever talk about a whole. Yeah. What do you say about him? Said he was pretty cool, I guess. Him and Adam. Them three were in the same class together. What three? Adam and Danny. Okay. Said he was a pretty cool guy.

[A]

When Detective Robinson starts to press Judd about the trip to Galleon and the supplier, who Danny owed money to, Judd explains that he really doesn't know much about it. Like Steve, he didn't meet up with the rest of the group until late Friday night, after the other friends had picked up the asset. And he never even met the person who supplied it. Authorities would need to turn their attention to Adam and Matt, the two friends who accompanied Danny on that trip to Galleon. Let's listen to Adam's account. He was interviewed by Detective McLaughlin in a separate room. Just a warning. He's very soft spoken. And the audio is a little hard to understand in parts, so listen closely.

[C]

When was the last time you saw a DNA violet? Saturday, October 24th. What board did you see him at Judd Dickerson's house? Was he acting kind of weird? Yes. What we understand is that he got himself. He got himself some acid, some paper acid from. From. And he wanted it back. Otherwise you're gonna kick his ass. That's my understanding. He said what? My understanding was that he was. He wanted his money back. We're just gonna kick. Kick Danny's butt. But you didn't get his money back. Next room. I. Okay, well, I just. I just spoke to Steven and that's what he said that you said? Oh, he just said that he wanted. He wanted. He went to somebody better find Daniel. So I beat him up or something like that. Yeah. Did you talk to him face to face? Yeah, I talked to him every bit. Okay, turn him. Yeah. Is he the type of person that will go ahead and take it that far? No, I don't think so. Now I understand, Frank. I understand. You know, the thing about being a rat and not being a rat and all that this kid's dead. So if we can find out who did it, that's where we wind up. If it's about dope, then that's just, you know, that's the way it is. But if we can find these guys, get them in jail where they belong, that's where we're headed. If was upset enough to go ahead and do something like that or get ahold of some people to help him find Danny and do that, then that's what we're trying to solve this puzzle.

[A]

Adam would end up telling McLaughlin a rather vague and convoluted account of the boys trip to pick up the acid. He said they drove to a few different houses in a few different towns that night and claimed he didn't know anything about the acid until sometime later when they arrived back in Willard. Now there was just one more friend that authorities would need to verify the story with. Detective Robinson would handle this one. Again, some of the audio is a little hard to understand, so listen closely.

[C]

And your name is Matt. Mm. Middle initial Steve. Sloan, you know, beginning. Violet, you know, he's like good friends. Good friends. How long have you known him? It wasn't a year. You haven't known him a year? No. I just started hanging around him, like, this summer. Okay. When's the last time that you saw Dan?

[A]

The video ends just as Robinson is asking Matt when he last saw Danny. But as the next video starts, he confirms it was Saturday morning around 11am at Judd's house, just as the other friends had reported. Robinson shifts the focus to the night before.

[C]

Did you see him Friday night? Yep. What time Friday night? Probably soon. What, you go anyplace with him? You went someplace with. Where'd you go? Gowing. Okay, you went to Galleon? What'd you do in Gavin? He seen a friend. Who? I don't know, kid. I don't go to school right now because my back's bad. I gotta get a ride. In my back, he goes pioneer, right? So you rode over there, but you don't know the kid's name? What'd he get? He didn't tell you? I don't. I like. I'm like. Things are. Father like figure. I try to, like, keep him out of stuff. Whenever he tried to do something, I try to, like, help him in, just like. Did you see him get anything from this kid? Not that annoying. Did he take anything in the car on the way back? Was he drinking? He don't drink. He don't drink. Does he do drugs? He talks about it all the time. Talk? Talks about what? Acid. Talks about acid all the time. Is that what you guys went over to get that name? I don't know, but he talks about it all the time.

[A]

Similar to Adam, Matt gave a vague account of Friday night, both the trip to pick up the acid and what happened after returning to Willard. He admitted that they drove to Galleon that night, but claimed he didn't know the reason why for their trip, nor did he know the person who supplied the acid. After speaking with the friends, authorities didn't have a ton of details to work with. But still, they had more than enough reason to go and question this individual who Danny supposedly owed money to. They'd first make contact with him later that day on November 4th. Unfortunately, the recording of that interview is very difficult to understand. But according to the narratives, it doesn't appear that much was learned in the that meeting. However, the following day, he'd informed detectives he had more information to share regarding the events of Friday night. So detectives set out for Galleon once again, but in a wild turn of events. Before they could even make it there, a discovery would be made back at the cornfield that would help solidify their working theory. On November 5, 1998, the day after Danny's body was discovered, authorities were dispatched to the scene once again after John Wiles, the farmer who found Danny's body, reported some additional items of interest he found in the field. Captain Annette McLaughlin, Bob's wife, who also worked for the Huron County Sheriff's Office, would be the responding officer. Here's what she reported.

[B]

At approximately 11:30am while at the Willard Police Department, I was dispatched to the crime scene on Townline Road 12 to meet with John and Jim Wiles. Upon arrival, the whiles showed me to an area west of where the deceased was found. In the cornfield laying in the corn row was a black wallet along with cash and some other light colored paper. This area was not disturbed. A phone call to BCI was made regarding the recovery. Agent Joe Dietz was to respond to the location. Statements were taken from John and Jim Wiles. Captain DeWitt later arrived on scene. While looking over the area he noticed what appeared to be some type of clothing. Agent Dietz was on the scene at that time and it was found that the clothing was a gray shirt. The shirt was under the combine and just east of where the wallet was located. Agent Dietz processed the scene.

[A]

It's a bit concerning that authorities failed to find this evidence when they processed the scene on day one. If you remember, the only thing they reported besides the body itself was a 31 by 14 foot patch of corn that had been knocked down roughly seven yards away. Of course there's a possibility that the items were dumped there sometime after they cleared the scene, so that's important to keep in mind. But I think the likelier scenario is they just didn't do a thorough enough search or wide enough canvas of the area and the items were simply overlooked. Regardless, this was a pretty big discovery. The evidence retrieved that day included Danny's wallet, some ripped up cash, $6 to be exact, and his gray Michigan University T shirt, the same one he was said to be wearing in the missing persons report. Now there are conflicting numbers when it comes to the exact location of the items and their proximity to where the body was found. But from the sounds of it, the wallet and money were found together roughly 40 yards away and the shirt was a little closer, roughly 30 yards away. For me this raises a lot of questions. Why would there be a large patch of corn knocked down outside the line of harvesting? Could a fight have broken out there. What else could have caused that? Same thing with Danny's shirt. Could it have been removed during a fight? Why was it so far away from the body? And then the wallet, did it just fall out of his pocket? Or does it somehow tie in with the ripped up money that was found with? Could he have been trying to repay someone and didn't have enough? There's just so many possibilities when you consider all the evidence found at the scene. But it does start to paint a picture nonetheless. With this discovery, authorities now had physical evidence to support their working theory that Danny may have been killed over a debt. Now they need to speak with the person he owed. Here's Detective McLaughlin.

[C]

Date is November 5th, 1998. Time is approximately 12:20. We're at the residence of his mother and father. Present along with Detective Scott Guy, MPD and prosecutors. Investigator Bob McDowell, county prosecutor's office. Okay. Yesterday you asked me if I knew anything about the acid that you got. Well, I want to clarify that the acid and anything that happened to Danny had no relevancy to each other. Okay, yeah. What do you mean by that? Like one had nothing to do with the other. And I'm positive because I know that I didn't do anything. And Danny come down there and ask me to get that for him and I did. Okay. You're sure of the fact that he. He purchased acid? He didn't purchase acid or the acid was printed to him. Had nothing to do with why he's dead today? I'm 100% for sure. Okay. How can you say that? I mean, how do you know? Because I'm the only one that knew besides Adam and that other kid that was with us.

[A]

It's hard to make out what's being said here, but essentially the supplier tells McLaughlin that he had nothing to do with Danny's death, nor did the acid deal that happened on Friday night. McLaughlin then asks the supplier to break down what happened that night. And like Danny's friends, he too gives a rather convoluted account. The only difference is his account is much more thorough and detailed due to the poor audio quality and redactions of names and places. I'm going to do my best to summarize and make it a little more digestible. Here's the story. Friday night, Adam drove Matt and Danny to Galleon, where they picked up the supplier from his house. From there, the group drove to a nearby house where they picked up one of the supplier's friends before driving to another house in the town of Nevada, roughly 30 minutes away. Where it sounds like a party was happening. There, they dropped off the friend who they picked up at the previous stop. Then the supplier rode with Adam, Matt, and Danny back to his home in Galleon, where he ended up borrowing money from his mom that, unbeknownst to her, would be used to purchase the acid. The group then drove back to the house in Nevada, where they dropped off the friend. Earlier this time, Danny and Matt stayed behind while Adam drove the supplier and two men who were at the party to a house in the town of Bucyrus, roughly 15 minutes away. There, the supplier purchased one sheet of acid, or 25 hits, for a total of $85, which he admits Danny was supposed to repay the following day. The group then left Bucyrus and returned to the house in Nevada where Danny and Matt had stayed. But upon arrival, sheriff's officers showed up at the house looking for a kid who had been missing. Eventually, the officers left. At that point, the supplier found Danny and handed him the sheet of acid. Then Adam, Matt, and Danny headed back to Matt's house in Willard. Overall, the story seems pretty convincing. It was detailed and included names and locations, as well as an encounter with the sheriff's office that he'd likely only know about if he was there, One that was later confirmed by detectives. On top of that, he was honest about buying the acid and even how he got the money to pay for it with his mom sitting right there beside him. And he never shied away from the fact that Danny was supposed to repay him that money. He offered to take a polygraph test multiple times over to prove his innocence. At one point in the conversation, his father even presses McLaughlin and asks why his son is being treated as a suspect. McLoughlin admits that he didn't think he was directly involved. Rather, he was concerned that it could have involved someone else, like the two men who went with them to Bucyrus to pick up the acid.

[C]

You don't know who these other guys were? Why were they along? Any idea that you went and got it and then they gave it to you and you gave it to it? They said it would be better. I didn't know their names. Did they have any idea where Danny lived? No. Have they ever been? They didn't even meet Danny. Okay. That's why I'm sure that they had no relevancy to it. So how does Danny wind up dead? I have no idea. None whatsoever. You or the other two guys didn't get upset about him not getting the money and going, no, no, I paid for it. Okay. From these other two guys, you gave them $85, then you gave it to 25 years a day. Yeah. So the other two guys, we don't. You guys didn't even know Danny. The other two guys that we don't know got their money. They were happy. The sale was complete. Yeah. The only person that was on the hook was you. Yeah. Or Danny. I'm so. I'm sorry. Danny was on the hook for you, for the 85. Just to give you back. Okay. What do you think happened to him? I don't have a clue. Honestly. I will take any test that is pertaining to Danny's death and that I even knew anything about it. I'll gladly take any test.

[A]

He goes on to say that even though it may not sound like a favor to detectives, that's all he was trying to do for Danny. A favorite. He stressed how the kids at school were spreading rumors about him and looking at him differently ever since Danny was found and told detectives he'd do anything to prove his innocence. Eventually, he'd take that lie detector test he asked for and he'd pass it. No deception detected. And while this wouldn't totally clear him as a person of interest, I have to think it took a lot of heat off him. But at the beginning of this episode, I mentioned there were two things about this so called acid night that need to be explored. We've covered the first, the story of how they picked up the acid. Now I want to turn the attention back to that health scare Danny suffered after returning to Willard. Because whatever that was, it sounds worse than your typical bad trip. And I'd like to get a better understanding of why it happened in the first place.

[B]

Not only did he have a seizure, but it sounds like he had a bad trip. Unfortunately, this data was not available back in the 90s. But we know now that combining lithium with a psychedelic medication actually significantly increases your risk of seizures.

[A]

Sure, we know that whatever happened that night didn't kill Danny. But it's only fair to question whether or not the same thing could have happened again the next night.

[C]

Foreign.

[B]

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[C]

Send event invites and pin messages so.

[B]

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[A]

After word spread about the events of Friday night, a popular theory arose amongst the locals. Many believe that Danny's death was just a freak accident with drugs being the likely catalyst. And while the theory doesn't immediately jump out at me, I can see the logic. You hear about this supposed acid night and a near death experience Danny had at his friend's house. It makes you wonder, could the same thing have happened again at a later time? On our drive through Willard with Danielle and Eric, we actually talked about this as we drove through the east side of town, past Matt and Judd's houses where all this took place.

[C]

This is the east side. This is what they call it. Even though now it's the northern part of town, everybody still knows it as the east side.

[B]

Why don't you direct them to Matt's house first?

[C]

Yep.

[B]

So once they got back from Galleon from getting the acid, they went to Matt's. So they do the acid. They're up in Matt's room and they are like all kind of laughing like they're starting to trip. And they had a strobe light going off and Danny started to seize. And if I remember correctly, they said he kind of like almost rolled off the bed or like wedged himself in between the bed and the wall and they took him to Judd's, which is where we can go next.

[A]

And the narrative for a long time locally was that it was drug related and he potentially just overdosed.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, it's just so hard to imagine somebody that would have wanted to hurt Danny. So because there is like this apparent lack of motive, I think people rationalized it for themselves, like, oh, some sort of accident, you know, occurred or. What do you mean he had a sheet of acid? You know, like it's.

[C]

That's.

[B]

That. That explains everything then.

[C]

So.

[A]

Let'S take a moment to talk about Danny's toxicology and autopsy reports. We'll start with the toxicology. First, I want to note that there was no alcohol found in Danny's system. There was also no lithium or other prescribed drugs, which is alarming at first glance. The only two drugs listed in the report were trace amounts of LSD and an anti seizure medication, zurontin, which he was not prescribed. As for the autopsy report, the manner of death was ruled undetermined. The cause of death was asphyxia. And this is where some questions come into play because there are a few different types, One being strangulation or the compression of one's neck. According to the CDC, in 2021, strangulation accounted for roughly 26% of suicides in America, whereas for homicides, strangulation accounted for less than 2%. But another type is suffocation or a blockage of the airways, which is how seizures, or more specifically, convulsions can kill someone. These deaths would be classified as either natural or accidental, depending on the circumstances. Now, this is just some basic research I pulled. I'm far from an expert on any of the above, but I was fortunate enough to interview someone who is qualified to speak on these matters.

[B]

My name is Alyssa Peckham. I'm a pharmacist by training, and I really dedicated a lot of my postgraduate work and studying in the realm of CNS disorder. So central nervous system, and one of the biggest pieces there is psychiatry and addiction. So I'm boarded in both psychiatry and addiction, and that's really where I've practiced a lot of my clinical work thus far. I was inspired to help those with substance use disorders is because there are a couple members of my family that struggle in that capacity. So it's very near and dear to my heart. But it is something that I really hope the best for a lot of people out there. And I don't. I don't think the medical community has done right by them for a long time. So I wanted to be a part of that changing movement.

[A]

While Dr. Peckham is currently doing biomedical research for rare central nervous system diseases, she tells me she practiced most of her clinical work in psychiatry and addiction, which is a big passion of hers. When she read about Danny's medical history with bipolar disorder and the various drugs he was taking, the ones he was prescribed and the illicit ones found in his toxicology report, it sounded all too familiar.

[B]

It piqued my interest because I've seen someone like Danny in the clinic time and time again. So, you know Diagnoses of bipolar disorder, really trying to stabilize medications, perhaps dabbling in what we would consider to be street substances or illegal substances, really, just to feel better, not to be classified as a, you know, a bad person or a moral failing. We see all the time that people are just seeking wellness, and that's why they use those substances. And so he struck me as a patient that could have been sitting in front of me years later, who I would have jumped at to help in a heartbeat. And so I wanted to learn more.

[A]

Dani's case fed right into her passion of working with people who suffer from both addiction and CNS disorders. We know that Dani was prescribed lithium and Seroquel, both known to treat the effects of bipolar disorder. So I first asked her to educate me on these drugs he was taking.

[B]

Lithium is a very classic mood stabilizer, one of our oldest mood stabilizers, and it's a very appropriate medication for bipolar disorder. It is FDA approved to treat just that. And I would consider it to be one of the gold standards, actually, for bipolar disorder. So it's my understanding he was taking 900 milligrams at bedtime, which is a very standard dose for his age. The other medication, Seroquel, that he was prescribed, he was actually in the midst of a taper off of that. So he should have been taking, I think, 75 milligrams at bedtime. And again, FDA approval for bipolar disorder, although being classified as an antipsychotic, more in the realm of schizophrenia, but people get very scared of that term. But a lot of antipsychotics can do a lot of really wonderful things in terms of symptom resolution for patients that have either unipolar depression or bipolar depression.

[A]

While Danny had nearly tapered off from the Seroquel he was prescribed, he was still supposed to be taking a standard dose of lithium, which, based on his medical records, he appeared to be doing for the most part, that is. She tells me that on October 22, roughly 48 hours before his disappearance, he had what she would consider a proper amount of lithium in his system. But where she struggled was comparing his medical records to the toxicology report.

[B]

I have a hard time believing that there was none detected in his system just two days later, or perhaps even three days later. You know, I try to put myself in his shoes and think about what was happening the days after 1022, when he had that nice, healthy level, and it seems like he was out with friends, perhaps that there was some partying that took place that evening. I've certainly forgotten to take medications the next day after a long night out. So it could just have been that he forgot. But I still think that there should have been some detection of it in the next two to three days. Based on what looks like how stable he was prior to that.

[A]

Though it's strange to her that no lithium was detected in the toxicology. She has no real concerns over any of the prescribed drugs that Danny was taking, even if he stopped taking his lithium for a day or two. But what about the other drugs found in his system? Well, namely the acid, or LSD as she describes it.

[B]

So lsd, its name stands for lysergic acid diethylamide. It's a small molecule. Oftentimes they're in these little dots that you can kind of take off of a sheet of paper. And when someone takes it, there are enhanced sensations. There can sometimes be visual hallucinations, maybe increased spirituality and increased, increased feeling of unity or community, sometimes a warm feeling. And so a lot of the experiences that are described are pleasant, but there's certainly room for what I think is called bad trips. And so having that breakthrough. Anxiety, paranoia, undesirable effects.

[A]

She says the average person starts to feel the varied effects of LSD roughly 30 minutes after taking it, and they can last for upwards of 12 hours. But I was curious about the half life of LSD and whether she could determine the amount Danny consumed Friday night based on the level shown in the toxicology report. Or more importantly, could she determine if he had taken it again the next day?

[B]

The half life of LLSD is about three and a half hours, so we really expect LSD to be undetectable and not really affecting someone by about 12 to 18 hours later. And so without knowing how much Danny took, I can only assume that he took what we would consider to be within the realm of a normal street dose of LSD. And so that can be anywhere between 20 to 200 micrograms. At the time in the 90s, we didn't have a lot of research into how LSD affects the body and when it can be eliminated. But since then, there are publications as recent as, as 2020 that really looked at the time course of LSD through the body. And so for doses that ranged between 25 and 100 micrograms, the level in the body was at the level that we saw show up on Danny's tox report. So that says to me that perhaps the dose that he took that's reflected in his blood was taken at least 12 hours prior. Now, if he had taken the very highest dose so let's say 200 micrograms. That level would come down to the one that we saw in his toxicology report about 24 hours later. So I think regardless, however much he took was at least 12 to 24 hours prior.

[A]

Based on that time frame, she feels fairly certain that Dani did not consume any more LSD the next day, though she admits it can't be ruled out entirely. But there was another drug found in the toxicology report that raised concerns. An anti seizure medication, Zurontin. Where he got this from is a mystery in itself, but we can pretty safely assume why he took it. That said, I wanted to know whether or not we should have any concerns over him taking it.

[B]

It's interesting that he's not prescribed this medication yet. It's showing up not at therapeutic levels in his toxicology. It's actually on its way out in terms of metabolism. So it's present, but it's not to the effect that would indicate very recent exposure. So I have two theories here with the level that's in Dani's body. The first theory, which I think is far less plausible, but we'll talk about it. For the purposes of being complete, there's potential that for whatever reason he was seeking therapy with Zurontin. I don't know why it doesn't have good effects. It's not treating any condition that Danny has. What is more likely the case is that he took a one time dose to treat something very specific. And so in this case, if he did have LSD and lithium, a strobe light combination that induced a seizure, it's possible that someone had given him that medication knowing that it's an antiepileptic, which is not going to give us the same blood concentrations that we would expect in someone that takes it regularly. And so that could explain the very low levels in his toxicology as well.

[A]

I then asked Dr. Peckham whether or not she could pinpoint what exactly caused the seizure Danny had that night, as it seems that several factors might have of played into it.

[B]

So we're doing a Seroquel taper. We have perhaps a missed dose of lithium in there, and then on top of that we have acute exposure to LSD the night before. Not only did he have a seizure, but it sounds like he had a bad trip. Unfortunately, this data was not available back in the 90s, but we know now that combining lithium with a psychedelic medication actually significantly increases your risk of seizures. And then you add a strobe light. We know that strobe lights can induce or elicit seizures, primarily in people that already have a seizure disorder. But his threshold was lessened with the combination of lithium and a psychedelic agent. And so that would be my theory as to why a seizure or seizures had occurred that evening.

[A]

She tells me that while it can't be ruled out entirely based on the evidence, there's no solid reason to believe that this same incident occurred again the next day, ultimately leading to Dani's death for good measure. She also spoke on the possibility of an overdose, which she has no real concern over.

[B]

Unfortunately, it's not that well documented in the literature if LSD as a sole agent is causing overdoses. But I think we can at least take confidence in the fact that if it's not well documented and not reported, then perhaps it's not happening all that much. That is not to say that it comes without risk, certainly, because as we know, it changes the way that we perceive things, it changes our thoughts and it changes our behaviors. So it can certainly put us in risky situations. But in terms of being the causative agent for death, we don't see that that often. And then certainly in Danny's case, I don't think that that was the cause. Here. You don't take lsd, have a bad trip, go to sleep, wake up the next day, feel a little groggy, have everyone later on in the day report that you were fine and engaging in conversations, and then you end up dead in a cornfield. I have a hard time linking that back to lsd.

[A]

The way she sees it. We have to take away the stigma surrounding lsd, primarily its presence in toxicology reports. Could using it or even buying it expose someone like Danny to a potentially risky situation? Absolutely. But there's no definitive proof that it played a role in his death. While Dr. Peckham admits that she's no expert in the world of forensic pathology, for her, the most telling clues as to what might have happened to Danny stem from his autopsy.

[B]

Reviewing autopsy review reports and making a medical judgment on that is certainly not within my realm. But I will say the one thing that stuck out to me is the post mortem abrasions that were found. How do you explain that? I think you would benefit from having someone else comment on that, because to me that sounds like there was another person involved in perhaps moving or manipulating the body in some capacity after they were deceased. And that's suspicious, to say the least.

[A]

I can tell you looking over the details of Danny's autopsy would raise anyone's suspicions. The post mortem abrasions she mentioned are only a glimpse into the troubling discoveries found in that report.

[C]

It's a young kid, 17 years old, in the middle of a cornfield and he's got very definite pathologic findings. I mean, there's all different kinds of scenarios you can think of, but no one ever had a plausible explanation. Did they get scared and have to dump the body? Was this just all good fun that went bad? I don't know but I think you have to keep an open mind mind for that. Cuz if you are doing acid, God knows the different possibilities.

[A]

That's next time. Culpable is a production of Tenderfoot TV in partnership with Odyssey, written and hosted by Dennis Cooper. Our senior producer is John Strange. Our producer is Jamie Albright. Edit, mix and sound design by Dayton Cole. Voice acting by Amanda Sanders. You can follow us on social media culpablepodcast and lastly, if you have any information about the death of Danny Violet, please fill out the form on our website culpablepodcast.com, or contact the Huron County Sheriff's Office at 419-66-8691.

[B]

Foreign.

[A]

Will release next Monday, but you can binge additional episodes right now ad free by subscribing to Tenderfoot plus on Apple Podcasts or at tenderfootplus.com.

[B]

My name is Sarah Turney. I spent years fighting for justice for my missing sister, Alyssa Turney, before an arrest was finally made in her case after nearly 20 years. But after my experience with the media, law enforcement and the court system, I knew I couldn't stop with Alyssa's case. I know what it's like to fight for media attention, for answers, and for justice. After I stopped telling my sister's story, I knew I wanted to help as many other victims, survivors and families as I could. On my podcast, Voices for Justice, I provide unique insight into these tragic cases because I know what it's like to not just listen to these stories, but to live them and more importantly, how to help them by being a true voice for justice. Listen to Voices for Justice in your favorite podcast player. Today you can be so much more than just a passive consumer of true crime. You have the power to help.

[A]

Hey Culpable listeners, I want to tell you about a show that I've been enjoying that you need to put on your radar. Buried Bones is a podcast about the forgotten crimes that history has tried to leave behind. Each week, journalist and historian Kate Winkler Dawson and retired cold case investigator Paul Holz reexamine these cases with fresh eyes because even centuries later, the details still matter. New episodes drop every Wednesday on the exactly Right network. Follow Buried bones on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.