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Drugs linked to death of woman who went missing Up North

HONOR (AP) — A Detroit-area woman whose disappearance last fall led to highly publicized searches in northern Michigan and suspicions about foul play died of a drug combination, tests revealed.

The medical examiner in Benzie County pointed to the effects of methamphetamine and Diazepam, an anti-anxiety drug, according to a report released Thursday.

Exposure to cold weather also was a factor.

The body of Adrienne Quintal of Southfield was discovered in December in a pond near a family cabin, two months after she had traveled to the northern Lower Peninsula.

There were no obvious signs of foul play at the time.

“We don’t know if she fell in or purposely went in. … The amount of meth in her system would have ended her life whether she had left the cabin or not,” Sheriff Ted Schendel said.

Relatives said Quintal, 47, called a friend in the wee hours on Oct. 17 to say she was involved in a shootout with two men who were outside the cabin near Honor, about 20 miles southwest of Traverse City.

“I’m speculating but we believe she was hallucinating and shooting at something. All the shots occurred from inside the cabin to the outside,” the sheriff said.

Investigators found bullet holes and shell casings.

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