Marion death investigation could take weeks to determine cause

MARION — It could be weeks before Marion police know what killed a man found injured in the street Sunday morning.

Marion Police Lt. Scott Elam said an autopsy has been completed on 63-year-old Richard Thompson, but did not offer investigators any definitive answers about how Thompson suffered his fatal injuries.

'They can't say for sure what it was — if it was a fall, if he was hit by a car or if he was assaulted,' Elam said Thursday.

Remaining tests that could provide more answers — such as a toxicology screening and tests on Thompson's brain — could take weeks or months to be completed, Elam said.

Thompson was found near the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Eighth Street around 4 a.m. Sunday. He was alive and suffering from injuries to his face, side and the back of his head. Elam said Thompson was drunk and not responsive to officers' questions. He was taken to St. Luke's Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Police said they know Thompson was at the VIP Lounge during the late evening hours of March 26, but are still trying to fill in the timeline between when Thompson was at the bar and when he was found. The VIP Lounge is half a block from where Thompson was found.

The medical examiner told police that Thompson's injuries were consistent with a fall, Elam said. Police have also not recovered any evidence of a hit-and-run.

Elam said police are still asking anyone with information to come forward. Anyone with information is asked to call the police department at 319-377-1511 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-CR-CRIME.