Indian couple, who fell to death in US, was intoxicated
What's the story
An autopsy report has revealed the Indian couple, who plummeted to their deaths in California's Yosemite National Park in October '18, was intoxicated. They were 'intoxicated with ethyl alcohol', the report underlined. However, the level of intoxication wasn't ascertained. Indian expats Vishnu Viswanath (29) and wife Meenakshi Moorthy (30) fell from the 800 feet-high Taft Point, while allegedly clicking a selfie. Here's more.
The couple
Married since 2010, the couple loved traveling
The Kerala couple had been married since 2010. The couple had recently moved to the US after Viswanath, a software engineer, took up a job with Cisco. On Instagram, the couple displayed their love for travel. Their account "Holidays and Happily Ever Afters" had nearly 25,000 followers. The couple had visited scenic destinations like Grand Canyon, Paris, New York City, and Niagara Falls.
Report
What did the autopsy report reveal
According to the autopsy report, Vishwanath and Meenakshi died due to "multiple injuries to the head, neck, chest, and abdomen, sustained by a fall from a mountain". Andrea Stewart, assistant Mariposa County coroner, confirmed they were drinking. However, she added, the condition of bodies made it impossible for investigators to conclude the amount of alcohol. Notably, the bodies had no traces of drugs.
Quote
They had been drinking. We don't know how much: Official
"All we can conclude is that they had been drinking and that they had alcohol in their systems. We don't know how much," Stewart was quoted by a local newspaper of California.
Advice
Couple had asked followers to stay responsible and careful
Before falling to their deaths, the couple had set up a tripod at Taft point, which was discovered later. Viswanath's brother said it appeared the couple was trying to take a selfie. Ironically, in one of their posts, Vishwanath and Meenakshi asked followers to not risk lives 'for the gram'. They had asked if life was worth one photo while batting for responsible adventures.