The news had a field day that day with some news outlets describing his body flooded with a cocktail of drugs, with little in the way of actual numbers, and if he had died of an overdose, it seemed almost certain that suicide had not been the cause. Not having access to this exclusive report, and with no links provided, no further comments could be made.
Daniel Naroditsky was a fixture at the Charlotte Chess Center, participating in PR events as well as Rapid and Blitz tournaments. (Photo: Kelly Centrelli/Charlotte Chess Center)
Indeed, the actual toxicology report, as described then, actually went a good deal further, and stated his cause of death in the view of the professional opinion of the medical examiner. MD Andrei Iordachescu wrote us, explaining he had seen the report, which he shared via link:
I have reviewed the official medical examiner’s report, and it clearly states the following :
- The concentrations of methamphetamine, mitragynine, and their metabolites in the decedent’s blood are at levels considered non-toxic/non-lethal in forensic toxicology.
- The concentrations of methamphetamine and mitragynine in the decedent’s blood on postmortem toxicology are not considered fatal on their own.
- Based on the circumstances, history, and postmortem findings, it is my opinion (the medical examiner’s) that the cause of death in this case is Probable cardiac arrhythmia due to Probable cardiac involvement of systemic sarcoidosis; methamphetamine and kratom (mitragynine) use are contributory. The manner of death is Accident
The official Medical Examiner’s report can be found online
Put in simpler layman’s terms, here is Gemini 3 Pro’s explanation of what that means:
The Summary The person died because their heart suddenly started beating irregularly and then stopped (a “short circuit” of the heart). This happened because they had an underlying inflammatory disease called sarcoidosis that had spread to their heart muscle, damaging its electrical system.
The Breakdown in Easy Terms
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Systemic Sarcoidosis: This is a condition where the body’s immune system overreacts and creates tiny clumps of inflammatory cells (scars) in different organs. “Systemic” just means it was in multiple parts of the body, not just one.
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Cardiac Involvement: Those inflammatory clumps formed specifically inside the heart muscle.
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Cardiac Arrhythmia: The heart relies on electrical signals to beat steadily. The inflammation from the sarcoidosis likely blocked or scrambled these signals, causing the heart to beat wildly or stop altogether.
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“Probable”: This standard legal wording means the medical examiner is highly confident this is what happened based on the evidence, even if they couldn’t prove it with 100% absolute certainty (which is common with heart rhythm deaths, as the rhythm stops when death occurs).
In short: A long-term inflammatory condition damaged the heart’s “wiring,” causing it to fail suddenly.
Our hearts at ChessBase go out to his friends and family, and we would like to point out that the Daniel Naroditsky Memorial Fundraiser was initiated by the Charlotte Chess Center, which has already received over $1 million in contributions. We enjoin you to contribute as well.
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