No toxic substances were found in the body of Chan Yin-lam, a 15-year-old student whose body was found at sea during the height of social unrest in September last year, a chemist told a Coroner’s Court on Monday.

Neither “knock-out drug” chloroform nor any other anaesthetic substance was found in a forensic test, according to scientist Hong Yau-hin who presented his findings to a jury at the court presided over by Magistrate Ko Wai-hung. However, it was not possible to determine whether or not Chan had been doped before she entered the water off Tseung Kwan O, where her naked corpse was found floating on Sept. 22, the chemist said.

The five-member jury has been tasked with looking into events prior to the discovery of Chan’s body to determine a potential cause for her death, which has been classified by police as a suicide. Over a trial that has lasted 11 days the jury has heard contradictory evidence about a previous suicide attempt, of her having shown symptoms of a psychotic episode, and the descriptions by her former school mates of a young woman with an upbeat character.

Security camera footage was also scrutinized although it did not provide key evidence as to how she lost her clothes and all her belongings.

The high-profile case has gripped the city, with its many unanswered questions and suspicion over how a competent swimmer ended up drowning herself. The fact that her death coincided with the height of anti-extradition bill protests last year, and that she had been arrested for assaulting police shortly beforehand, further deepened the controversy.

No lethal dose of chloroform would have been used immediately prior to her death, Hong told the hearing, adding that it wasn’t possible to completely rule out Chan having been exposed to the chemical, which in gas form would have quickly dissipated from a decomposing body. No cannabis or other recreational drugs were detected in her body either, Hong added.

Magistrate Ko is scheduled to direct the jury on Friday before they retire to deliberate a verdict. Chan’s mother Ho Pui-yee was absent from the hearing on Monday, although she is scheduled to give a closing speech.

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