Police in Juneau, Alaska, say the town’s newly elected mayor died of natural causes.
Stephen “Greg” Fisk was found dead in his home Monday afternoon with injuries consistent with a fall, police said. Juneau police Chief Bryce Johnson said the 70-year-old had a history of heart problems.
Investigators initially dismissed rumors of an assault as mere speculation. The findings were confirmed Wednesday.
Although Fisk’s home showed no sign of forced entry, an attack was “one of the possibilities out there,” Police Chief Bryce Johnson told the Juneau Empire newspaper.
“There could’ve been a fall. There’s lots of things that would cause it,” he added.
Cops said nothing at the scene indicated Fisk’s death was a suicide or related to drugs. Likewise, there was no apparent gunshot wound on his body, police said.
It appears, instead, Johnson said, that Fisk had a heart issue and fell. Fisk’s adult son, Ian, found his dad dead inside the home Monday after the new mayor failed to show up to his scheduled Monday appointments. The 70-year-old lived alone.
A toxicology test could take two to eight weeks to complete.
Fisk, a fisheries consultant, handily defeated incumbent Merrill Sanford in the Oct. 6 election to become mayor. His platform included developing Juneau’s waterfront, restoring jobs that had been moved to Seattle and building more affordable housing.
He was sworn in Oct. 20.
Ian Fisk said in an email that his family is grieving privately.
“We sincerely appreciate the support of the community and we recognize that, as would be the case with any public figure, his death brings a lot of attention,” he said. “At this time we have no reason to speculate as to the cause of his death and are awaiting the results of his autopsy. Meanwhile I will not be responding to any further media requests of any kind, and ask for your understanding.”
With News Wire Services
