Free Republic

An autopsy revealed evidence of cocaine in the body of Suzie Marie Peña, the toddler who died in a shootout between police and her father, who was using her as a shield, officials said today. Medical tests showed that the toddler's urine contained the drug benzoylechgoneine, into which cocaine metabolizes in the human body. The autopsy showed the presence of a trace amount of the drug, according to Craig Harvey, spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner. Experts said it could have been ingested or inhaled. One official said the cocaine could have been eaten, come from breast milk, or...

Friends and acquaintances expressed shock and disbelief Friday at allegations that City Councilwoman Stacey Jo Murphy led a double life -- do-gooder civic leader and cocaine abuser who hung out at a bar with known gangsters. Murphy's arrest after police found drugs and guns at her Lima Street home grew out of a lengthy investigation into the notorious Vineland Boys street gang, which authorities blame for a long list of crimes, including the killing of Burbank police Officer Matthew Pavelka. Across Burbank, those who know Murphy, 47, were having trouble making the allegations jibe with their image of a successful...

THURSDAY, Jan. 2 (HealthScoutNews) -- Cocaine users seek pleasure, but the more they indulge in the drug, the less likely they are to feel the pleasure they're seeking. That's the finding of a new study that shows cocaine damages brain cells that trigger the feelings of pleasure. The drug also exerts its most serious effects on those who are clinically depressed, the researchers found. This is the first time research shows what happens "in those humans with the most clinically significant cocaine dependency problems," says Dr. Karley Little, chief of the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System in Ann Arbor, Mich., and...