HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — A medical examiner who performed a private autopsy on David Carradine has determined that the actor most likely died from asphyxia.
“The cause of death was asphyxiation, an inability to breathe, now why that happened is still what we’re working on,” Dr. Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist hired by Carradine’s family, told Reuters.
Carradine was found hanging in the closet of his Bangkok hotel room on June 4. An initial autopsy conducted by Thai authorities failed to determine a cause of death, with officials still awaiting toxicology results.
When asked about media reports that Carradine died from autoerotic asphyxiation, Baden said that’s still a possibility that has yet to be determined.
Baden, who previously declared that Carradine’s death was not a suicide, said he is still looking into whether another person may have been in the room with the “Kung Fu” star. He said that he is still awaiting information from the hotel to help him determine whether a crime was committed.
“He didn’t die of natural causes, and he didn’t die of suicidal causes from the nature of the ligatures around the body, so that leaves some kind of accidental death…or homicide,” he said.
The New York-based pathologist also cleared up rumors by disclosing that the 72-year-old Carradine was found with his hands above his head and not tied behind his back, as some have previously reported.
