Man who fell ill after poisoning at Burke Street Pub died ‘due to chronic alcoholism,’ not poisoning, medical examiner says

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has released its report on the death of a Winston-Salem man who fell ill after consuming poison-contaminated beer at Burke Street Pub in Winston-Salem.

The poisoning incident occurred on Nov. 9, 2023, when three people at Burke Street Pub consumed drinks contaminated by cleaner left in the beer lines.

One of the three people who were poisoned, Connor Owen Sebastian, 31, of Winston-Salem, died on Nov. 30, 2023, according to the medical examiner’s office, which later ruled his probable cause of death as “chronic alcoholism” with “hepatitis C” as a contributing condition.

Sebastian came to a hospital on Nov. 10, 2023, with a “caustic esophageal injury,” according to the report. He was discharged from the hospital three days later.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center says that “caustic liquid ingestion” occurs when “liquids such as cosmetics, cleaning agents or other chemicals are swallowed.” When a caustic liquid is swallowed, “tissue damage may occur and create scarring in the esophagus. These scars make the inside of the esophagus very narrow and can make it hard to swallow. The more damage done to the wall of the esophagus, the worse the injury.”

The medical examiner’s report states that Sebastian fell ill on Nov. 16, 2023, seven days after the poisoning incident. He had a history of alcohol and substance abuse.

Sebastian “had resumed a regular diet and started drinking ‘about 20 beers again’,” according to the report. He began suffering from hematemesis at around 4 p.m. on Nov. 16, 2023.

Hematemesis is the medical term for vomiting blood, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It is a sign of possible bleeding in the upper GI tract. Sebastian was later admitted to the TICU at a hospital with an upper GI bleed, according to the medical examiner’s office. He “was likely in alcohol withdrawal.”

The medical examiner says that Sebastian reported in 2021 that he “drank at least 12 drinks a day” and “vomited blood daily.” A CT scan at that time showed suspected cirrhosis.

The National Institute of Health defines cirrhosis as “a condition in which your liver is scarred and permanently damaged. Scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue and prevents your liver from working normally. As cirrhosis gets worse, your liver begins to fail.”

According to the NIH, the causes of cirrhosis include alcohol-associated liver disease, chronic hepatitis C and chronic hepatitis B.

Sebastian’s condition worsened over the next two weeks, according to the report. He was not a candidate for a liver transplant and dialysis was likely to be fatal. He was placed into hospice on Nov. 30 and passed away that same day.

The report lists Sebastian’s probable cause of death as “complications secondary to gastrointestinal hemorrhage due to alcoholic liver disease with cirrhosis, portal hypertension and esophageal varices due to chronic alcoholism.” Hepatitis C was also listed as a contributing condition.

The medical examiner’s office says that natural death was verified “as the manner of” Sebastian’s death.