Chandler Grafner died of dehydration and starvation, according to a coroner’s report released Monday.
The 7-year-old boy, who weighed only 34 pounds at the time of his death May 6, went into cardiac arrest and couldn’t be resuscitated, the report said. Bronchopneumonia also contributed to the death, the report said.
Jon Phillips and his common-law wife, Sarah Berry, were caring for the boy after he was taken from Phillips’ estranged girlfriend, police said.
Phillips and Berry face first-degree murder charges, said Lynn Kimbrough, spokeswoman for the Denver District attorney’s office. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
“From the scene investigation, autopsy examination and circumstances around the death as currently known, the manner of death is classified as homicide,” the report concluded.
Chandler’s ribs showed through his torso, his skin was dry and scaly, and his hair pulled out easily, the report stated.
Prosecutors have said Phillips and Berry locked Chandler in a closet and intentionally starved him.
Staff writer Vimal Patel can be reached at 303-954-1638 or vpatel@denverpost.com.
