An autopsy in the Nathaniel Lee Searcy case tentatively revealed heart disease, not Mace, as the leading cause of death but the final ruling cannot be made until the toxicology results are in.
Searcy, 50, was one of two suspects seen leaving the Dollar General, located at 993 Mt. Vernon Ave., after a break-in Sunday evening.
Police used Mace to gain control of the suspects after they resisted arrested, however, Franklin County coroner Brad Lewis says the actual foot race is more likely to have caused the fatality.
“The autopsy showed (Searcy) did have heart disease and there was no significant trauma to the body,” he said. “There was probably more of an effect from the physical exertion than the spray would have cost.”
Sherry Mercurio, spokeswoman for the Columbus Police Department, said that in most cases Mace is preferred to other methods for gaining control of suspects because the effects are rarely severe.
“It is very, very, very rare to have this type of reaction, so that leads us to believe (the cause of death) was something else and not Mace. That is one of the reasons we use Mace-it’s a form of control that’s less lethal,” Mercurio said.
