Autopsy finds no obvious cause of jail inmate’s death

An autopsy conducted on the body of a Deschutes County Jail inmate who died hours after his arrest found no obvious cause of death, and officials investigating the incident said Tuesday they must now wait for the results of toxicology tests in about a month.

The autopsy on Edwin Burl Mays, 31, of Bend, was performed Monday at the state Medical Examiner’s Office, deputies said.

“The medical examiner found no physical injuries or internal organ issues and ruled these out as causes of death,” Tuesday’s updated news release stated.

“Samples of bodily fluids were taken and submitted for toxicology testing,” it continued. “The results of the testing are expected in 30 days.”

Mays was brought by Bend police to the jail around 5:40 p.m. Sunday to be booked on charges of interfering with a police officer, menacing, giving false information to a police officer, heroin possession and a parole violation, for which he was to be held without bail, deputies said.

Officers said Mays had been riding in a car driven by Adam Lee Davenport, 32, who refused to pull over late Sunday afternoon and led police on a pursuit, eventually reaching a cul-de-sac and running away. Mays was detained at the car, while Davenport was found hiding in a nearby home’s yard.

Around 9 p.m., Mays “began showing signs of medical distress while in the booking area, and deputies began immediate medical care and called Bend Fire and Rescue medics for assistance,” a news release Monday stated.

Fire medics responded and assumed medical care, but pronounced Mays dead after efforts to save him proved unsuccessful, deputies said.

Mays’ death “appears to be the result of medical issues,” deputies,

“This is a very rare occasion, that someone passes away in our facility,” said Capt. Shane Nelson said Monday.

“We want to offer friends and family the circumstances surrounding his death,” Nelson said, though he was unable to give a timeline for when the investigation will be complete.

Some friends of Mays are very anxious to hear those answers, and have concerns about how he was cared for, passing away so soon after arriving at the facility.

Ruth Goodpasture, one of his friends, said Monday, “I can honestly say that they don’t treat people with medical (conditions) – like, they don’t get to them fast enough.”