Rep. Gillmor Died In Fall, Autopsy Suggests

Although a heart attack was at first suspected in the death of Rep. Paul Gillmor, an autopsy revealed Friday that he in fact died of massive head and neck injuries sustained in a fall down the steps of his Arlington townhouse.

The cause of death was "blunt head and neck trauma," according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for northern Virginia.

"The injuries sustained were consistent with a fall and the death appears to be accidental," said Det. Steve Gomez, a spokesman for the Arlington County Police Department. "We have no evidence of foul play."

It was unclear what precipitated the fall. The medical examiner performed toxicology tests as a part of the autopsy. The results of those tests were not released.

Two of Gillmor's aides discovered his body crumpled at the base of a flight of stairs in his home Wednesday morning after he failed to show up for work. The Ohio Republican was 68.