The autopsy of a woman who was found dead in a Texas jail revealed no injuries that would suggest she died in a violent homicide, authorities said Thursday.
Waller County assistant district attorney Warren Diepraam said the autopsy showed that 28-year-old Sandra Bland had no defensive injuries on her hands that would typically indicate a struggle.
“The cause of death was hanging and the manner of death was suicide,” Diepraam said. “The evidence that we have reviewed so far, supports those findings.”
Some lacerations or abrasions were found on her wrists, Diepraam said, adding that those were consistent with a struggle while being handcuffed. But Bland had other marks on her left forearm, at least 30 in all, which authorities said appeared to have recently healed.
“They have been consistent with self-inflicted wounds,” Diepraam said. “That does not mean that they are.”
But he indicated that other marks around Bland's neck were consistent with a suicide. And that the internal structures of her neck did not appear to have the kind of injuries which would normally have been present after a violent struggle.
Some results of the autopsy only seemed to raise new questions. Investigators said they found the presence of a large amount of marijuana.
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“She would either have had to have smoked marijuana recently, or possibly ingested a large amount of marijuana prior to her being placed in the jail,” said Elton Mathis, the Waller County District Attorney. But a report filed with the Attorney General’s office indicated that Bland did not appear to have been under the influence of either drugs or alcohol when she was booked into the jail. And Mathis conceded that she may have obtained the pot after she was taken into custody.
“I’m not ruling anything out at this point,” he said.
Bland was arrested in a traffic stop three days before she was found hanging in her jail cell on July 13. Her family and friends have questioned the official finding that she killed herself, but have repeatedly said they want to see all of the facts before reaching any conclusions.
During an appearance on MSNBC in Chicago late Thursday, Bland’s mother said she is trying to keep an open mind.
“I’m choosing to allow God to reveal the entire truth, and I am not thinking, seeing, or hoping for any violent acts.” said Geneva Reed-Veal. “I am not showing up in any places that I need not be. And I’m not attaching myself to any agenda, that is not God’s agenda.”
Texas Rangers and the FBI are investigating.
