An inquest into the death of Darren Meah-Moore, a 39-year-old drag queen who appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race, has heard details of his final moments. Meah-Moore, also known as Crystal Couture and CC Quinn, was found dead under a pile of cardboard boxes in a lane in central Cardiff in January 2023.
CCTV footage showed Meah-Moore leaving the Pulse nightclub in full drag before engaging in sexual encounters with multiple men. The final encounter involved a man and his dog in a secluded car park. The man, whose identity is protected by court reporting restrictions, said Meah-Moore consented to sexual activity with the dog, telling him not to shoo the animal away.
The man stated he lost interest and later found Meah-Moore asleep and unrousable. Tests revealed both human and non-human semen inside Meah-Moore's body, with DNA matching the man's dog. Pathologists considered whether death resulted from an allergic reaction to dog semen, but this could not be confirmed.
The initial medical cause of death was recorded as sudden death in a man with bronchial asthma who had consumed alcohol, in temporal association with sexual activity including anal intercourse. The dog's owner was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter but released without charge.
Meah-Moore's body was discovered by a nightclub manager who noticed part of his dress in the car park. He found Meah-Moore covered with flattened cardboard boxes, which he said had been placed on top of him. Despite CPR, Meah-Moore was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tributes from his father and husband described him as caring and a central figure in Cardiff's gay community. He was also a talented gymnast and ran a jewellery company called Bling Bling Bling UK. The inquest continues.
