Was "bath salts" behind 2 tour soldier killing his wife, son and himself

Fort Lewis soldier who killed wife, self had taken synthetic 'bath salts' drug

Stewart, a twice-deployed combat medic stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord

By Christine Clarridge
Seattle Times staff reporter
An Army medic who police say shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself in April was under the influence of a powerful drug known as "bath salts."

On Monday, the Thurston County Coroner's Office said toxicology tests done on David Stewart, 38, and Kristy Sampels, 38, revealed they both had the bath-salt chemical, methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) in their bodies when they died. While the results help explain the behavior of Stewart, according to the coroner, it does not shed light on what happened to the couple's 5-year-old son, who was found suffocated in the couple's Spanaway home.

Bath salts, which in April was being sold legally to state residents in tobacco shops and over the Internet, have a chemical composition that's similar to methamphetamine, according to the Washington Poison Center.
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Fort Lewis soldier who killed wife