Independent Autopsy Confirms Quawan Charles Died By Drowning
There are many questions surrounding the death of 15-year-old Quawan Charles. According to the results of an independent autopsy by American Forensics obtained by TMZ, it appears there is enough evidence to conclude that he died by “possible drowning.”
The autopsy also said there was “no sign of trauma or natural disease, and that the body was undergoing decompositional changes upon arrival.”
Nonetheless, his official cause of death is still unknown. USA Today reports the death is being investigated as a homicide.
The 15-year-old from Baldwin, Louisiana vanished from his home on October 30. Days later, the family said his body was found in a sugarcane field about 20 miles away in Iberia Parish. The Iberia Parish Coroner’s Office said a preliminary autopsy suspected he likely drowned to death, KLFY-TV reported.
An investigation has since been launched by local authorities to find out what happened between the time Charles disappeared and when his body was discovered.
The medical examiner's office said a full report can take up to 12 weeks. The local sheriff's department, however, has already deemed the circumstances around his death "suspicious."
The Charles family has launched a GoFundMe to help cover costs of the investigation of his death. A reward of $5,000 is also being offered to anyone who can offer credible additional information.
There have been calls for more transparency from the Iberia Parish Police Department. Sheriff Tommy Romero said in a November 14 news release, “I want to assure the public that I, and my team, are doing everything we can, and following every lead, to gather evidence into what happened in the untimely death of Quawan 'Bobby' Charles. Any loss of life is a tragedy and that is especially true when it is a young person."
