A coroner ruled that a 20-year-old man who was found dead over the summer after a Las Vegas pool party died accidentally, according to a statement provided to USA TODAY.
TayShaun Todd, 20, died of an accidental drowning, Stephanie Wheatley, a spokesperson for the Clark County Office of the Coroner and Medical Examiner confirmed to USA TODAY on Thursday, Sept. 4.
The full coroner's report is "not ready to be released at this time," Wheatley said.
Todd was attending a house party on June 17 with a friend when police broke the party up, according to his friend and his mother. Once the party was broken up, his friend couldn’t find him and called Todd’s mother for help.
An individual at the home found Todd’s body in the pool the following morning and called police, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department records obtained by USA TODAY.
A 27-year-old man was taken into custody that same day in connection with the illegal party, charged with operating as a professional promoter without a valid license and engaging in business without a promoter license, the records show.
Since then, his mother, Christina Todd-Dunn, has been pushing for police to look more into her son’s death. She previously told USA TODAY that she has filed a complaint with the police department’s internal affairs department, which can take up to 90 days.
USA TODAY has contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to ask for comment on the 20-year-old’s cause and manner of death, and to ask about the complaint his mother filed. Police do not provide information or updates regarding internal affairs investigations, the police department said in a statement on Sept. 5.
What happened leading up to TayShaun’s death that night?
Police have repeatedly declined to comment on the case and haven't officially disclosed how Todd ended up in the pool.
According to his mother, authorities think he may have returned to the site of the party after they searched the house, then fallen into the pool somehow.
Todd’s mother said he attended the party after his friend called and said he’d seen posts about it on Instagram. They bought tickets for $15 and went, along with roughly 300 other people.
Todd’s friend told police the party was advertised as having an open bar, according to documents reviewed by USA TODAY.
According to police records, people began jumping into the pool around 9 p.m. that night, and Todd was last seen around 9:30 p.m. Police showed up shortly after and the host made everyone leave, per an arrest report reviewed by USA TODAY.
When Todd’s friend couldn’t find him the night of June 17, he called his family and his mom went to the home where the party was held, Todd’s mother told USA TODAY.
Todd-Dunn said that on the night of June 17, she called police to ask them to search the premises inside and out. Her initial call was made around 11:30 p.m., she said. Per police records, an officer arrived to search around 1:22 a.m.
“Officers (checked) the residence and did not see (TayShaun),” the report read, although Todd’s mother said she did not see police search outside the home.
Around 12:30 p.m. on June 18, the day after the party, someone at the home called police about a dead body in the pool.
“As soon as I hit that corner, I saw ambulances, fire trucks, and I saw that yellow tape,” Todd-Dunn previously told USA TODAY. “My heart completely dropped.”
Todd-Dunn, who said her son hardly partied and knew how to swim, has been pushing for more details about her son's death ever since.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cause of death released for man found dead after Las Vegas pool party
Reporting by Saleen Martin, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect