Investigators awaited official word on the cause of death until final laboratory reports were received and scientific tests were completed by a forensic pathologist. University officials specifically requested a complete autopsy and the expertise of a top-notch pathologist to learn as much as possible about what happened to the HSU student.
The forensic pathologist, Dr. Susan Comfort of Redding, Calif., rendered the opinion that Huynh died as a result of blunt force injuries to the head that are consistent with an accidental fall. Comfort also reported finding evidence of a circulatory defect in Huynh’s brain that may have been a vascular malformation. Possibly the malformation ruptured and caused internal bleeding, which could have resulted in Huynh suffering an unprotected fall and striking his head on the ground.
Dr. Comfort told UPD investigators Huynh’s injuries were consistent with an unprotected fall, not those typically sustained in a physical assault or deliberate attack.
Although the cause of death has officially been ruled accidental, University Police investigators are keeping the case open in the event new information becomes available. “Even though it is reassuring to know that the manner of death was accidental, there are still details that are not completely clear,” said UPD Police Chief Thomas Dewey.
The UPD-led investigation focused on the steep Creekview hill, where an abandoned “library” bicycle was found lying in the roadway the same morning Huynh went jogging. Physical examination of the abandoned bicycle did not definitively link Huynh to it. However, Dewey said, the coincidence of Huynh’s injuries with the abandoned bicycle leaves open the possibility he was knocked down by an unknown cyclist who had borrowed the bike, or that Huynh fell on or off the bike himself.
“We would still like to know exactly how and where Huynh fell and struck his head, but at least we have ruled out an intentional attack,” Dewey added.
Huynh was admitted to Mad River Hospital on Sunday, July 27, after he returned to his Creekview Residence Hall earlier that morning with serious injuries, apparently sustained in a solo jogging or bicycling accident. He was later airlifted to Mercy Medical Center in Redding, where he never regained consciousness. Despite questioning from his roommates, he did not give an exact explanation of how he had been injured.
An exhaustive multi-agency effort to locate and interview possible witnesses netted only persons who had seen Huynh jogging without any apparent problem. No one had information about how or where he had been injured.
Anyone with information about the incident is still encouraged to contact UPD at (707) 826-5555 or hsupd@humboldt.edu.