The Marin County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday released more details about the death of actor Robin Williams.
The coroner has not yet made a final determination on the cause of death, but evidence indicates that Williams committed suicide and died from asphyxia due to hanging.
Warning: Several of the details police released are graphic in nature.
According to a statement from the Marin County Assistant Deputy Coroner Keith Boyd, Williams retired for the evening on Sunday after his wife went to sleep in a separate room. She left the home Monday morning and believed he was still asleep.
After his personal assistant became worried Monday morning about Williams whereabouts, she discovered him in a room in his home.
According to Boyd, Williams was found slightly suspended from a belt around his neck that was wedged between the door and the door frame.
Williams also had superficial cuts on the inside of his left wrist. Police found a pocket knife near Williams with red markings consistent with the appearance of blood, but Boyd said they have not yet determined the substance on the knife.
Investigators are running a toxicology report, but will not know whether Williams had any substances in his system at the time of death for a few weeks.
According to Boyd, Williams was recently seeking treatment for depression. The coroner would not release any other information about Williams’ medical history.
Boyd would not say whether Williams left a suicide note.
Police are still investigating Williams’ death and will make a final determination about the cause of death in several weeks.
Read Boyd’s full prepared statement here.
I guess the rich and famous lead different kinds of lives. But I tend to know when my partner is asleep. That kind of gulf between married people is depressing to hear about.
I know many couples that sleep in separate beds that are not rich but just don’t like dealing with the snoring or hot flashes…
I think it’s about so much more than who and where. Points taken, but this is an artistic loss on an iconic level for society and friends of Williams alike. It’s also an unpleasant reminder of the silent killer lurking in depression - a disease that so often takes its toll quietly over decades of suffering with those closest of us understanding so little about the way we feel. Pain from tumors or bodily injury, is much easier to see and empathize with.
True, and let’s not pile more guilt on his wife or family members. We don’t know anything about their marriage - and being a spouse of someone with a mental illness must be complex and confusing.
Dear TPM: I hugely admire what you do. But the fact that the details of Mr Williams’s sad death are out there in the MSM doesn’t mean that you have to pile-on. Reporting on depression statistics? Solid. Info about famous people who’ve acknowledged they suffer from the disease? Awesome. Actions to be taken to better help those who suffer, from both personal and policy perspectives? Right on.
Details on exactly how he died? For god’s sake, NO.