Say It Ain't So, Scarborough Joe

Mika's Treasured Sidekick -
"on july 20, fort walton beach police chief steve hogue said that a preliminary investigation into lori klausutis' death had not turned up any evidence of foul play, trauma to her body or any outward indications of suicide. however, the autopsy issued by associate medical examiner michael berkland on august 6 shows clear evidence of severe trauma to the head: a 7 1/2 inch long fracture stretching from the right temple across the top of the head, a contusion in the occipital region (at the base of the skull), a subdural hematoma -- a collection of blood on the surface of the brain under the skull -- on the left side opposite the fracture, and eggshell fractures under the brain above the eye socket.

certainly this evidence, in itself, should have been sufficient to launch an all-out police investigation. but, despite these findings, berkland concluded the death was accidental. this apparently caused the police to close the case.

in the autopsy, berkland disclosed that lori had an "undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia." the papers described the condition as "floppy mitral valve disease, which is typically marked by abnormal heart rhythms." according to the northwest florida daily news, the cardiac arrhythmia had "halted klausutis' heart and stopped her breathing," and the "blow to the head contributed to the death because blood pooled at the point where the fracture occurred."

however, the autopsy states that the subdural hematoma (the blood pooling) was on the opposite side of the brain from the fracture."