BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. — A Benton Harbor narcotics suspect who passed away after his arrest earlier this year died of accidental circumstances, state troopers determined.
Michigan State Police (MSP) says 48-year-old Douglas Lee Davis was jailed on three counts of delivering meth and for violating parole.
Davis was taken to Corewell Lakeland Hospital on March 10 after displaying signs of medical distress, troopers explain. He was later pronounced dead, after which a plastic bag was discovered inside his stomach.
READ MORE: Plastic bag found inside deceased Berrien Co. inmate's stomach
Investigators have since concluded no officers from any law enforcement agency were involved in Davis’s death, according to MSP.
We’re told video footage, multiple interviews, autopsy results and toxicology reports led MSP to the conclusion.
State troopers highlight the following details that turned up during the investigation:
- House surveillance footage shows Davis reach into his pocket and raise his hand to his mouth while fleeing authorities.
- Body cam and dash cam video did not show signs of excessive force when Davis was arrested.
- Davis claimed in police footage that he did not swallow drugs when asked, and he showed no signs of distress on the way to the Berrien County Jail.
- While imprisoned, Davis showed signs of distress and was asked a second time if he had taken drugs, to which he nodded. Healthcare professionals and an ambulance were called in immediately.
- Toxicology results yielded large amounts of meth in Davis’s blood at 19,000 nanograms per milliliter.
No criminal charges will be pursued in Davis’s death, according to MSP.
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