Robert Stone had been "dead for a while” before being discovered in his bed at the Whitehorse detox centre, the inquest into his death heard Wednesday.

But even after an autopsy, there is no way to tell for certain exactly how the 34-year-old died.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Charles Lee testified that blood had begun to settle at the front of Stone's body.

That suggested the man had been lying dead on his stomach for some time before he was found around 10:40 a.m. on May 2, 2010 at the city's Sarah Steele Building detox centre.

Lee, the B.C. pathologist who performed the autopsy on Stone's body three days after his death, testified to many possibilities for how Stone may have died. However, he said, there was "nothing in the autopsy to make a reasonable diagnosis of cause of death.”

The autopsy lists Stone's cause of death as "undetermined.”

Among the possibilities, Lee said genetic abnormalities or some heart defects would not be visible in an autopsy.

The doctor also suggested Stone, who was prone to seizures, may have died from Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), a relatively rare condition where people with epilepsy can die for no clear reason.

While Stone had never been officially diagnosed as an epileptic, the doctor testified he could not rule it out as a possibility.

There is no way to tell in an autopsy whether Stone had a seizure before he died, Lee said.

There is also no way to say for certain whether the sedative effects of alcohol, the anti-seizure medication and a one-milligram dose of the sedative Adivan, Stone received that morning, played any role in his death.

However, the pathologist testified this was unlikely, given the small amounts of the drug in Stone's system.

Stone's blood alcohol level was nowhere near high enough to be fatal, Lee said.

The jury heard Wednesday that Stone was found dead with a blanket over his body and a pillow covering his head.

Staff at the detox centre testified Stone said this was how he liked to sleep.

Susan Roothman, the lawyer representing the Stone family, suggested Stone died of positional asphyxia, a condition where a person's position prevents them from breathing properly.

Roothman pointed to light spots, or blanching, found on Stone's nose and mouth during the autopsy which show he died laying face-down on the bed.

The lawyer suggested these marks indicate Stone died after having an unwitnessed seizure and being unable to turn his head from under the pillow.

Lee testified he can't exclude that as a possibility but said he doesn't believe it to be very likely.

He said there's no way to tell from the marks if there was any pressure on Stone's face.

Earlier in the week, toxicologist Dr. Walter Martz testified he used blood work and other tests to estimate Stone's time of death at some time between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m.

Linda Woodhouse, a flight nurse and one of the first medical responders to the scene, testified Wednesday that Stone's body appeared stiff when she arrived just before 11 a.m.

Lee said he could not to give a specific time of death for a number of reasons, including the temperature in the room at the time and the fact that Stone was covered with a blanket.

The pathologist testified that the autopsy found a couple of old, fully healed, bruises on Stone's brain.

The bruises correspond with scars on Stone's head and are common in falls, Lee said, adding they are one possible explanation for Stone's seizure disorder.

On Wednesday afternoon, the jury heard from the two detox centre staff members who admitted Stone when he arrived by taxi at around 4:15 a.m. the day of his death.

Like many others who saw the frequent detox centre client in the hours before he died, recovery unit attendant Debra Misko said Stone was "in excellent condition. Better than most times I've seen him.”

Licensed practical nurse Avoline Perrier testified she found that Stone was in a low level of withdrawal, experiencing tremors and anxiety, but suitable to be admitted to the centre.

Stone told her he may have had a seizure that night, but was not sure, Perrier said.

Stone was the only male admitted that night.

Misko testified that clients at the centre are checked once an hour.

By 5:30 a.m., Stone had gone to sleep, the pair testified.

At 6 a.m., Misko, said she went into Stone's room and observed his back moving up and down to indicate breathing. It appeared he was sleeping comfortably with the pillow over his head, she said.

An hour later, Misko checked on Stone again from the door.

By 8 a.m., the shift was over.

Perrier said she also looked in on Stone through an observation window at around 6 a.m. and he appeared to be sleeping comfortably.

Perrier testified she saw his leg or foot move.

Neither woman followed detox centre policy. That states staff are to go into the room with a flashlight and observe each client for the sound of respiration, the inquest heard.

The women said there was enough light in the room to see Stone clearly at the time of their checks.

The two staff members who took over for Misko and Perrier that morning testified today that they also ignored policy and only checked on Stone through the window before coming in the room and finding him dead.

Patricia Germain told the court that checking on clients through the window was "typical practice” for staff at the time of Stone's death.

Staff are now much more dilligent with their checks, she said.

Germain, a recovery unit attendant, testified she was busy that morning dealing with clients from the upstairs treatment program and on the phone attempting to get clarification about Stone's anti-seizure medication.

For the fourth day in a row, many questions at the inquest centred around Stone's anti-seizure  medication Dilantin and whether he had taken any in the hours surrounding his death.

Records note a blister pack of the medication, which the jury has heard Stone received after being released from the Whitehorse Correctional Centre, approximately 26 hours prior to his death.

Perrier testified this was an unusual way for staff at the detox centre to see medication, because the instructions — to take two pills at 8:30 a.m. and two at bedtime — were handwritten on the pack and did not include a doctor's name nor date.

Without those things, the pills cannot be considered a doctor's order and the prescription would have to be verified by the pharmacy Perrier said.

The instructions also contradicted the record from Stone's previous visit to the detox centre, which said he was to get three pills in the morning, Germain said.

Germain testified she spent part of the morning trying to verify the medication and have a proper label sent from the pharmacy to go on the container.

By the time the medication was ready to be brought to Stone, he was found dead.

According to admissions records from the detox centre, two Dilantin pills were found crushed in Stone's pocket when he arrived.

Those pills were disposed of in accordance with the detox centre's policy regarding loose medication, Perrier testified.

Roothman pressed Perrier as to why, especially after finding the crushed pills in Stone's pocket, she did not ask Stone if he had taken his medication.

Perrier replied that may have asked but doesn't remember.

Roothman also questioned why no one removed the pillow from Stone's head.

Staff members testified that they wouldn't have removed the pillow if they believed he was sleeping.

Startling someone going through detox could be dangerous, the women said.

Perrier, who has worked at the detox centre since 1992, said the policy for monitoring clients had changed.

Previously, clients were checked on every 15 minutes, she said, but did not provide any more detail.

The inquest is expected to wrap up later today.

As of this afternoon, one more person was expected to testify. The jury of four women and two men will then be asked to make recommendations, if they have any, on how to prevent similar deaths from recurring.

The inquest is being overseen by the territory's chief coroner, Sharon Hanley.