Autopsy report reveals no foul play in death of man found in nursing home closet
NORTH MIAMI - CBS News Miami has obtained the long-awaited autopsy report from the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office regarding the death of 71-year-old Elin Etienne, whose decomposed body was discovered in a closet at the North Dade Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
Etienne, who had dementia, was reported missing on August 22nd, and his body was found nearly two weeks later, on September 2nd.
It's not known how his body ended up in the closet and North Miami police have said the investigation is ongoing.
The autopsy report said police found no signs of trauma or foul play and said that Etienne did not use alcohol or drugs.
The report said, "There are no injuries on the body" and "the cause of death is undetermined." The report did not say when Etienne died.
Family attorney Philip Gold said that the medical examiner's office was most likely hampered by the condition of the body when they received it.
"It is really a testament to how long Mr. Etienne was allowed by the nursing home to remain in the facility, in the closet, dead and decomposing. This was not unexpected. The medical examiner can only do what work they can based on the condition of the body. It's a really unfortunate situation where he was left to decompose for so long," he said.
In the autopsy, he said, "They typically do a head-to-toe investigation, looking at organs and tissue samples and looking at lab findings."
He said he hopes the family can receive more detailed information in the future.
"We are in touch with the nursing home attorneys and going through a legal pre-suit process which is a requirement before bringing a wrongful death lawsuit for the family," he added.
"We have been unable to obtain most of the police investigative file but they can keep that file private right now."
"The family has been seeking answers on what happened to a beloved family member. We have a lot of questions without answers. How could this happen? Why did this happen? This is a nightmare. It's hoped that for the family the truth can be revealed and the nursing home will be held accountable and this will never happen again."
In a previous statement, the administrator for the nursing home said, "We are deeply committed to the health, well-being and safety of our residents…our team is cooperating with the appropriate authorities."
CBS News Miami tried to see if there was any new comment from the nursing home at 1255 N.E. 135th St. but was told there would not be any new comment.
