The case took place in Canada and involved a suicidal fall. The postmortem blood sample collected from the victim was placed in a jar without preservative. In addition, a urine sample was collected and placed in a tube that contained at least 1 percent sodium fluoride as preservative. The Center of Forensic Sciences in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, received the samples 19 days later. The storage conditions of these samples were unknown; however, the transit of the samples took place in late summer. The analysis of the blood and urine samples for ethanol used headspace gas chromatography according to the method of Machata. Results revealed that the ethanol concentration in the blood was 96 milligrams per deciliter and that the urine contained no ethanol. The blood sample also contained 4 milligrams per deciliter of n-propanol. Findings illustrated the usefulness of n-propanol as an indicator of neo-formation of ethanol. However, n-propanol should not be used as an internal standard for postmortem ethanol analysis unless previous screening for it has taken place. Table, figure, and 14 references (Author abstract modified)