Autopsy results released for black Mississippi man (Dau Mabil) found dead in Pearl River (06/21/24)

BILOXI, Miss. (WLBT) - A Belhaven man who was found dead in the Pearl River back in April died of drowning, according to the State Medical Examiner’s Office.
On Friday, the examiner released findings from the postmortem exam performed on Dau Mabil.
Mabil went missing back in March and was found dead, face-down in the Pearl River the following month.
“Based on the decedent’s past medical history, the circumstances surrounding the death, scene findings, autopsy results, and ancillary study outcomes, the cause of death is drowning,” the report states.
While the cause of death was identified, State Medical Examiner Dr. Ariane Robison couldn’t determine why he drowned, largely due to the condition of his remains.
“The state of postmortem decomposition of the remains and a lack of comprehensive contextual information precluded a conclusive determination about the manner of death,” she wrote. “However, if additional investigative details emerge in the future, this case will be re-evaluated and re-assessed accordingly.”
The report was signed off on by Robison and Medical Examiner Dr. Paul Uribe.