“We are grateful for the thorough work completed on the part of the medical examiner’s office in identifying ethanol toxicity, or alcohol poisoning, as Adam’s cause of death,” Oakes’ family said in an emailed statement about the development. “At this time, receiving the results feels similar to ripping a band-aid off an open wound. We are all mourning his loss again as if it just happened yesterday. Even though the results are unsurprising, it does not make it any easier to hear.”
