Death of man found in central Palmerston North still unexplained
The death of a man whose body was found in the centre of Palmerston North more than three years ago remains unexplained.
Coroner Heather McKenzie has ruled the cause of Owen Charles Wildbore-Brumby's death as “unascertained”.
Her ruling, released on March 6, comes after a police investigation found no evidence of the 40-year-old dying from an unlawful act.
Wildbore-Brumby's body was discovered in bushes in the busy city centre, Te Marae o Hine / The Square, on February 16, 2021.
After his death his friends were reported as saying they worried about foul play, but a police investigation did not find any evidence of this.
“Police have advised that their investigation has not identified any credible information indicating that his death was the result of an unlawful act and nothing tangible was uncovered from any person claiming to be an eyewitness to any sinister activity,” the coroner's report said.
Coroner McKenzie said Wildbore-Brumby left his home on February 13 to visit the Street Van, which hands out food, as he normally did on a Saturday night, normally returning about 3am.
The man he boarded with, Michael Norton, noticed he did not return home and started searching for him the next day, and later on February 14 a woman reported seeing Wildbore-Brumby crossing the road in front of her.
Norton found Wildbore-Brumby's bike padlocked next to a roundabout near Palmerston North's old post office building on The Square. CCTV footage showed him locking it there late on the night of February 13, and showed him near the Street Van.
“At one point, police described the footage as looking like he was bending over slightly as if vomiting and then continuing walking towards the general direction of where he was later found deceased.”
Forensic pathologist Dr Amy Spark did an autopsy, but could not find a specific cause of death, finding it “unascertained”.
“However, Dr Spark observed that his death could have resulted from the additive effects of canal stenosis [narrowing of spaces in the spinal canal], the effects of alcohol, and the position he was found in.”
Wildbore-Brumby's blood-alcohol reading was 167 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood, more than three times the legal driving limit of 50mg.
Dr Spark said even though the level could have been higher before dropping, it was unlikely to be high enough to cause death.
Wildbore-Brumby had achondroplasia, causing his short stature, and Dr Spark said sudden death had been reported in people with the condition due to compression of the brainstem and canal stenosis.
However, that cause of death was reported for children, not adults.