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a new 48 Hours investigation looks into the death of a Texas woman that baffled investigators a medical examiner says
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31-year-old Maria Munoz died of a combination of drugs in her system but they couldn't determine how those drugs
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got there this week's 48 Hours Aaron morard reports on how the woman's journals played a key role in the
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case in the early morning hours of September 22nd 2020 Laro police officer gregoria DEA Cruz respond responded to
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an emergency Call at a home on Canyon Oak Drive H peot dressed in teal surgical scrubs was performing CPR on
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his 31-year-old wife and stay-at-home mom Maria Munoz she was warm she was still warm to touch Howell a nurse
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anesthetist had told the 911 operator that he found his wife unresponsive and that she may have taken pills
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claz claz aam a drug often used to treat anxiety she's been super depressed Maria
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who had been prescribed medication was seeking help through the church she was also writing in journals I don't want to
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be sad anymore I don't want my heart to hurt I don't want my mind to be in torture after Maria Munoz died an
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autopsy was done no pill residue from Clen aipan was found in her system but a toxicology report with later reveal the
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presence of seven other drugs mostly used for surgery Sergeant Lis mat so positive for
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morphine Demerol verset propal ketamine lidocaine Naran a team of prosecutors led by attorney Marisella jackaman was
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assigned to the case it was enough medication to survive two major surgeries it was so much was Maria's
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death a suicide an accident or murder authorities turned toward journals for help how crucial were those journals
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very Aaron rori joins us now Aaron wow well this is a new one for me um and I think you know the idea of a weapon
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medication is unusual and I think it could only have been pulled off by someone who knew a lot about medications
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but why were they even suspicious to begin with well and again I've learned a lot working on this story their first
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thought was if you do take medication all they knew is that she had some kind of mixed drug interaction she was
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unresponsive and then she died and so but normally if you take something the pills are going to be right next to you
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um nothing was there when when the husband went to show what drugs he thought she had taken he had to go into
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the bathroom to get it and they're like well why why would they be in the bathroom it it didn't make any sense at
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all but again they couldn't say for sure someone had done it she had no um defensive wounds it was possible that
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she had taken all those medications somewhere else and then walked over and collapsed and so he was not charged for
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4 months the Cliffhanger at the end was the journals so what did they find well the journals are amazing I don't think
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the husband had any idea that she was riding all the way really up to the day she died
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this was a woman who was depressed um no question another reason why they weren't
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absolutely sure she had been murdered um but they also found some hope um in it and that's one of the reasons why the
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medical examiner thought I don't think she took her own life and it was used at trial it's one of the few times that a
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victim basically testifies a trial because these journals were so powerful amazing as the husband was with all his
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knowledge people always slip up some kind of does not pay I don't know if he knew how much she had written in the
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journal her friends knew oh absolutely we will leave the rest for the report Aon thank you very much appreciate it
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you can see aon's full report the journals of Maria munes on 48 hours tomorrow night at 109 Central here on
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CBS and streaming on Paramount Plus