Coroner's Finding: MANSVELDERS Mark Thomas

44y · Male·epilepsy with contributing factors of hypertensive heart disease and coronary artery disease

A 44-year-old man with a history of epilepsy died from a seizure while detained in police custody under the Public Intoxication Act. He was intoxicated and apprehended after walking in traffic. During a cell inspection at 7am, officers observed subtle hand twitching but did not recognize this as a seizure. The neurologist expert concluded the death was not preventable—seizure-related deaths are rare (1 in 1000 annually), the seizure signs were subtle and easily confused with sleep movements or alcohol withdrawal by untrained officers, and resuscitation attempts for seizure-induced cardiac arrest are rarely successful even in hospitals. The coroner found deficiencies in prisoner screening documentation but concluded these played no role in the death. No medical intervention would have changed the outcome.