What specific findings did the Hennepin County medical examiner list about fentanyl in George Floyd's autopsy?

1. The ME’s headline finding: homicide, with other significant conditions

The county autopsy concluded George Floyd’s death a homicide, giving the immediate cause as cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained by law enforcement; it explicitly listed “arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease,” “fentanyl intoxication,” and “recent methamphetamine use” among “other significant conditions,” signaling these were contributors but not the proximate mechanism in the medical examiner’s determination ^{[3] [1]}.

2. What the report says about fentanyl specifically

The medical examiner’s office reported fentanyl (and its metabolite) was detected on toxicology and described “fentanyl intoxication” among the other significant conditions in the report released by Hennepin County ^{[1] [4]}. Court filings and related documents cited an 11 ng/mL fentanyl level in sampled blood and included a forensic opinion that such a level “can cause pulmonary edema,” a condition noted at autopsy ^[2].

3. How officials and independent reviewers framed the fentanyl finding

County medical examiner Dr. Andrew Baker and later reviewers acknowledged that the fentanyl level, in isolation, could be considered high and could cause pulmonary edema, but they and external reviewers emphasized the need to view toxicology in the context of restraint, cardiac disease, and other factors. The FBI and Armed Forces Medical Examiner reviewers agreed with the county finding that death was caused by police subdual and restraint with cardiovascular disease and drug intoxication contributing ^{[5] [6]}.

4. The independent family autopsy vs. the county autopsy: different emphases

The family’s independent autopsy team, including Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson, concluded Floyd died of mechanical asphyxiation from sustained pressure; it did not place the same emphasis on drug intoxication as a contributing factor. The county report’s inclusion of fentanyl intoxication became a focal point for competing narratives, with some outlets and commentators seizing on the toxicology to suggest overdose explanations — a contention that subsequent fact-checks and reporting found overstated relative to what the county report itself asserted ^{[3] [7] [8]}.

5. What the record does not say (and common misinterpretations)

Available sources do not say the Hennepin County report concluded Floyd died from a fentanyl overdose alone; rather, the report lists fentanyl intoxication as a contributing condition while assigning homicide from restraint as the cause ^{[1] [3]}. Sources show the fentanyl detail fed misinformation narratives claiming an overdose, narratives later debunked by fact-checkers who noted the county report did not attribute death solely to drugs ^{[7] [8]}.

6. Forensic nuance: levels, pulmonary edema, and “with” versus “from”

Court documents and testimony highlight forensic nuance: an 11 ng/mL fentanyl level was called “pretty high” and was linked by some reviewers to pulmonary edema seen at autopsy, but reviewers cautioned that presence of drugs (“with”) is not proof of causation (“from”) — the overall scene, restraint, cardiac pathology and struggles must be weighed together to assign cause and manner ^{[2] [5]}.

7. Why the fentanyl finding mattered politically and legally

The mention of fentanyl intoxication in the county report became fodder for political and media debate because it provided a plausible alternative explanation for death to those defending officers. Fact-checkers and mainstream outlets pushed back, noting the medical examiner’s homicide ruling and the report’s framing of fentanyl as a contributing condition rather than the primary cause ^{[7] [8] [3]}.

Limitations: this summary relies solely on the provided documents and reporting; available sources do not mention every toxicology value or every line of internal forensic discussion beyond the cited filings and news reports ^{[1] [2] [3]}.