Former Enron Chairman Ken Lay had had at least two prior heart attacks and had severe coronary artery disease when he died of a heart attack in Aspen two weeks ago.
An autopsy report released Wednesday showed that Lay, 64, died of natural causes from his diseased heart, closing the case for the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Department.
Lay died less than two months after being convicted of six counts of fraud and conspiracy and four counts of bank fraud for his part in Enron’s collapse. He was scheduled to be sentenced in October and faced the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.
Rumors spread quickly on the Internet after Lay’s death that it was a suicide. Another rumor was that the death was faked – that the body that was taken to a Glenwood Springs morgue and to Community Hospital in Grand Junction for an autopsy was not Lay’s.
“All the allegations suggesting this was not Ken Lay are absolutely ludicrous,” said Mesa County coroner and forensic pathologist Dr. Rob Kurtzman, who performed the post-mortem exam.
Kurtzman’s autopsy report stated that Lay awoke about 1 a.m. on July 5 at a home the Lays were staying in outside Aspen. His wife, Linda, told authorities that the two were talking, Lay got up and went into a bathroom and she heard a “thump.”
She found that Lay had fallen off a commode and was lying unresponsive on the floor. He had vomited and had brief seizures. She called 911, and Lay was taken by ambulance to the Aspen Valley Hospital. He was pronounced dead there at 3:11 a.m.
Linda Lay told authorities her husband had not reported any chest pains, nausea or shortness of breath before his collapse. He had been troubled by upper gastrointestinal symptoms and was taking medication for that. Several capsules were found in his stomach contents.
Kurtzman’s report noted that toxicology tests showed nothing significant in Lay’s bloodstream and that, except for the heart disease, Lay was in good health.
The autopsy showed that two of Lay’s main coronary arteries had greater than 90 percent blockage and showed evidence of hemorrhage and a clot. Another was 75 to 90 percent blocked with calcified plaque. The exam also revealed stents – devices designed to hold blocked arteries open – in two of Lay’s arteries.
Lay had superficial abrasions on his forehead and left knee that were consistent with falling onto the floor. He had contusions on his throat and lower lip that were caused by placing a breathing tube down his throat, the autopsy report stated.
The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office said the death was classified as natural and that the case was closed.
Staff writer Nancy Lofholm can be reached at 970-256-1957 or nlofholm@denverpost.com.
