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Unsolved April 15, 1975 Suspicious Death

Karen Ann Quinlan

Status Unsolved
Type Suspicious Death
Date April 15, 1975
Location Landing, New Jersey
Victim Age 21
Gender Female

Karen Ann Quinlan fell into a persistent vegetative state after mixing alcohol and tranquilizers. Her parents won a landmark Supreme Court case to remove her ventilator. She survived without it for 9 years before dying in 1985. The circumstances leading to her coma were never fully explained.

suspicious death New Jersey right to die historical landmark case