MANSFIELD — An investigator from the Richland County Coroner’s Office said he believes a man found dead at his Brace Avenue residence last week died of natural causes.
Bryon Smith, 64, was found Friday evening in his backyard. The coroner’s office initially treated the death as suspicious.
“There were some suspicious circumstances that we were looking at. We’ve cleared those up,” Chief Investigator Bob Ball said Monday afternoon.
“There’s no foul play whatsoever. There is nothing suspicious about his death.”
Ball said a preliminary report did not find evidence of injuries or physical trauma that would have caused Smith’s death.
Smith’s body was sent to Montgomery County for an autopsy, which will include a toxicology report.
