Sandra Bland Autopsy Shows No 'Evidence Suggesting That This Is A Homicide'

Sandra Bland Autopsy Shows No 'Evidence Suggesting That This Is A Homicide'

Investigators say no injuries consistent with a violent homicide were found during an autopsy of Sandra Bland, who was found dead in a Texas jail.

Waller County prosecutor Warren Diepraam on Thursday discussed details of the autopsy of the 28-year-old, who authorities say was found hanging by a plastic bag in her jail cell on July 13. She had been arrested three days earlier for allegedly assaulting a state trooper druing a traffic stop.

Diepraam said the autopsy showed that Bland had no defensive injuries on her hands that would typically indicate a struggle. He said 30 lacerations or abrasions were found on her wrists were marks consistent with self-inflicted injuries he's seen before -- though he noted that's not a determination of what happened in this case.

Marks around Bland's neck, he said, also do not match with what are typically found on homicide victims.

The injuries would be consistent with a death by suicide, he said.

"I have not seen any evidence suggesting that this is a homicide," he said.

Bland allegedly told a jailer that she'd attempted suicide in the past, but her family and friends have expressed disbelief that she would kill herself.

He also addressed reports of a large quantity of marijuana found in her system. It's impossible at this point to determine how much she ingested and when, but an upcoming quantitative test might shed light on those questions, he said.

It was possible that she ingested marijuana before her traffic stop, Diepraam said. Investigators have searched her cell and interviewed neighoring inmates and so far haven't found evidence that she smoked pot in the jail.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sandra Bland Dies In Jail

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