Bomb Suspect's Cause Of Death Found, Not Released
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — Authorities say the medical examiner has determined the cause of death for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, but the information will remain private until his remains are released and a death certificate is filed.
His cause of death was determined Monday.
But Tsarnaev's body remains unclaimed. His father has postponed a trip from Russia because of health issues; and it's likely that his mother would be detained for questioning if she decided to return to the U.S.
Her name appears in the federal terrorism database.
Tsarnaev's widow, Katherine Russell, who lives in Rhode Island, has also not said whether she plans to hold a funeral or wants to claim his body.
Department of Public Safety spokesman Terrel Harris says every case is different and there's no set amount of time the medical examiner's office will keep an unclaimed body.
The 26-year-old died after a gunfight with authorities. Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis says over 250 rounds were fired in the shootout. Police said Tsarnaev only had one gun, which ran out of ammunition, but that he and his 19-year-old brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev also hurled explosives at police.
As officers were attempting to take Tamerlan Tsarnaev into custody, they say his brother Dzhokhar drove at them, and wound up dragging Tamerlan's body under a vehicle while fleeing the scene.
Dzhokhar was later apprehended in Watertown. He faces a charge of using a weapon of mass destruction to kill for the marathon bombings that killed three people and injured more than 200. He could face the death penalty.
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