What specific medical findings did the Hennepin County autopsy list as contributing conditions in George Floyd’s death?
Executive summary
The Hennepin County autopsy ruled George Floyd’s death a homicide due to “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression,” and explicitly listed several “other significant conditions” — notably arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease, fentanyl intoxication, and recent methamphetamine use — as contributing factors [1] [2] [3]. The county report and its author, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker, framed those medical findings as contributors that may have made death more likely, while disputing that the autopsy showed anatomical evidence of traumatic asphyxia [4] [5].
1. The autopsy’s formal cause and wording
The Hennepin County autopsy document states the cause of death as “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression,” which the office classified as a homicide; that phrasing identifies the immediate mechanism (cardiopulmonary arrest) and links it to the restraint and neck compression by officers [1] [3].
2. The specific medical conditions the report listed as contributing
In a section described publicly as “other significant conditions,” the report names arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease (often summarized as coronary artery disease and high blood pressure), fentanyl intoxication, and recent methamphetamine use — each of which the report says may have contributed to the fatal outcome [2] [4] [3]. The autopsy and related court filings also reference a heavy/enlarged heart with narrowing of coronary arteries and note severe underlying cardiovascular disease, findings that medical examiners and subsequent reviewers emphasized as potentially increasing the heart’s oxygen demand [6] [5].
3. Toxicology and pulmonary notes cited by the examiner
The county report and courtroom materials refer to fentanyl in Floyd’s system and describe drug intoxication in the list of significant conditions; investigators submitted blood samples to forensic labs and the autopsy materials note toxicologic findings consistent with fentanyl exposure and recent methamphetamine use [7] [1]. Court documents and testimony also mention the lungs being heavier than normal at autopsy — an observation cited in related briefs and witness notes as part of the medical picture [8].
4. What the autopsy said it did not show — and how Baker framed contribution vs. cause
The Hennepin County autopsy concluded it found “no physical evidence suggesting that Mr. Floyd died of asphyxiation,” noting an absence of classic anatomical signs such as petechiae, airway or thyroid injury, brain bleeding or bone damage that would define traumatic strangulation in the report’s view [5]. Dr. Baker, who performed the autopsy and later testified, maintained that heart disease and drug intoxication were contributing factors but were not the primary cause; he testified that the death certificate’s homicide ruling tied the cardiopulmonary arrest to law enforcement restraint and neck compression [9] [6].
5. Competing interpretations and institutional reviews
The county autopsy’s list of contributing conditions sat alongside an independent autopsy commissioned by Floyd’s family that concluded death from mechanical asphyxiation; that independent team emphasized sustained pressure on the neck as the fatal mechanism, highlighting a clear difference in interpretation over anatomical findings versus video and situational evidence [2]. The Armed Forces Medical Examiner and FBI review later agreed with Baker’s finding that the death was caused by police subdual and restraint with cardiovascular disease and drug intoxication contributing, underscoring that institutional reviewers read the autopsy’s “other significant conditions” as contributors rather than sole causes [7]. Reporting and legal filings show the medical findings became central to prosecution and defense strategies: prosecutors linked the cardiopulmonary arrest to restraint, while the defense signaled it would stress drugs and preexisting heart disease as alternative explanations [4] [7].