DEMOTTE, Ind. — The Lake County coroner says an Indiana man who died while in police custody died from natural causes.
Rhyker Earl's family has been calling for answers after his death. They had called 911 on Sept. 8 after Earl had a seizure in Demotte, Indiana. Jasper County Sheriff's deputies, who responded with medics, ended up restraining Earl and holding him down on the floor.
Graphic body camera video shows the moment Earl stopped moving and the minutes it took first responders to realize he wasn't breathing.
Earl was taken to the hospital in critical condition, where he died on Sept. 10.
In a report released Wednesday, Nov. 13, the Lake County coroner said Earl died from heart disease, an enlarged heart and cardiac arrest. The coroner found no evidence of trauma.
"The Coroner would like to express his deep condolences to family and friends," Chief Deputy Coroner Yvette Manfredy said.
Earl's family says that he was in an altered state after his seizure, which explained his response to police and medics. Dr. Jacqueline French, the chief medical innovation officer for the Epilepsy Foundation, says it wouldn't be the first time.
"In many people, if it was a significant seizure, they can be left in a state where the world does not seem familiar to them," French said. "People don't seem familiar to them. And of course, if that's the case, it's likely that people are coming at you aggressively, you will not understand."
The body camera video, released by the Jasper County Sheriff's Office, shows Earl repeatedly begging police to release him.
"I just want justice for my brother," said Earl's sister, Tara. Earl calls for her in the released body cam video.
Earl leaves behind a 6-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter.
The family retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump. They have not released a response to the autopsy report.