Richmond woman died of acute intoxication, authorities say

Maine State and Richmond police responded to Main Street in downtown Richmond Nov. 2. They found Robin Bowler and Dana Shulman deceased inside their 15 Main St. apartment. Keith Edwards/Kennebec Journal file

RICHMOND — A woman who was found dead in her Richmond home a month ago died from acute intoxication, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Robin Bowler Contributed photo

Before she died, Robin Bowler had taken a lethal combination of cocaine, fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, methamphetamine and mirtazapine, which is used to treat depression. An autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in November revealed no indication of foul play in Bowler’s death.

Police found Bowler, 47, and the body of Dana Shulman, 49, Nov. 2 inside the 15 Main St. apartment they shared after trying to gain access for most of the day.

Around 11 a.m., that day, Richmond police went to the apartment on a well-being check. Unable to make contact, Richmond police asked for help from the Major Crimes Unit of the Maine State Police, who tried to reach anyone inside the apartment with a public address system on a police vehicle, stating they had a warrant to search the apartment.

The following day, State Police identified the couple as Bowler and Shulman.

Police had been called to that apartment once before. On June 14, Shulman had been issued a summons on a charge of domestic violence assault by a Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s deputy, and he was prohibited from returning home as a condition of his bail.

In early July, Bowler submitted a handwritten letter to the Sagadahoc County court, asking that Shulman be allowed to return home.

“Neither Dana or I have a place to go other than our home,” Bowler wrote. “He’s the kindest man I have known and wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. This was an isolated incident that was blown out of proportion.”

She wrote Shulman had not done what neighbors had reported, and she claimed they gave false statements, both at the time they called 911 and when they gave statements to law enforcement.

“Yes, Dana had too much to drink, but he never did the things they stated he did,” Bowler wrote. “Dana knows that he cannot drink hard liquer (sic) and wants to go to counseling to get help with that. Please take that into consideration.”

By the end of July, the terms of his release were changed, and Shulman was able to return home.

Shulman was due in court in West Bath on Nov. 4 on the charge.

Shulman’s autopsy showed he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The circumstances surrounding Bowler’s death remained under investigation until toxicology tests could be completed.

The medical examiner’s office lists both Shulman’s and Bowler’s time of death as 5:29 p.m. Nov. 2.

The warrant, which police sought to gain entry to the apartment at 15 Main St., was sealed in November, meaning it’s not available for the public to view. It remains sealed.

According to the public part of Bowler’s Facebook profile, she worked at Five Counties Credit Union and was in a relationship with Shulman starting in 2016.

Shulman had worked at Crooker Construction for more than two decades.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help pay the costs of Bowler’s funeral expenses, and a bottle drive in Richmond has raised money as well.