Army: No bullet wound in soldier who died during Skype chat

Last Updated 1:50 p.m. ET

(CBS/AP) WASHINGTON - Army investigators said they found no bullet wound and no foul play in the death of a soldier who died during a Skype video chat with his wife.

Capt. Bruce Kevin Clark's wife said her husband fell forward and she saw a bullet hole in the closet behind him, raising the question of whether he had been shot.

Capt. Clark's family released a statement describing what his wife saw in the video feed recording her husband's death in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan. It's not clear how the bullet hole got in the closet.

But Christopher Grey, a spokesman for the Army Criminal Investigation Command, said Monday that no bullet wound was found in Clark's body.

"Although the investigation into his death is open and ongoing by Special Agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, we can positively say that Captain Clark was not shot," said Grey. "Agents conducting the investigation, found no trauma to the body beyond minor abrasions and a possible broken nose, most likely caused from Captain Clark striking his face on his desk when he collapsed."

"Although we have not completely ruled it out to ensure a complete and thorough investigation is conducted, we do not suspect foul play in the death of Captain Clark at this point," the CID said.

An autopsy was done Friday but it could take several weeks to get results of toxicology and tissue testing done at that time, Paul Stone, a spokesman for the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, said Monday.

Clark's family released a statement Sunday describing what his wife saw in the video feed recording her husband's death.

"The closet behind him had a bullet hole in it," the statement said, adding that others, including a member of the military who came to Orellana-Clark's Texas home, also believed it was a bullet hole.

Family: Wife Skyping with soldier saw bullet hole

The statement says the Skype link remained open for two hours after Clark collapsed as family and friends in the U.S. and Afghanistan tried to get Clark help. Although it was the night of Monday, April 30, at his El Paso, Texas, home, Clark's time of death is officially listed as May 1, the date in Afghanistan at the time.

"After two hours and many frantic phone calls by Mrs. Clark, two military personnel arrived in the room and appeared to check his pulse, but provided no details about his condition to his wife," the statement said.

Despite the trauma of witnessing her husband's death from thousands of miles away, Orellana-Clark said last week through a statement issued by the family that she and her extended family were thankful that husband and wife "were together in his last moments."

Orellana-Clark said the reason for the family statement Sunday on the bullet hole was to provide details of what she saw "to honor my husband and dispel the inaccurate information and supposition promulgated by other parties."

Grey's statement Monday expressed condolences to Clark's family, friends, and fellow soldiers, saying "we know this is a very traumatic and difficult time for all involved."

Reached Monday after the Army issued its statement, Bradley Taber-Thomas, a brother-in-law who has been acting as a spokesman for Clark's family, said the family had not been officially informed by the Army that a bullet wound had not been found in the captain's body and had no immediate comment.

Clark, 43, grew up in Michigan and previously lived in Spencerport, N.Y., a suburb of Rochester, his wife's hometown. He joined the Army in 2006 and was stationed in Hawaii before he was assigned to the medical center in El Paso. He deployed to Afghanistan in March.

Clark's body was returned Thursday to Dover Air Force Base. The body was still there Monday and officials said they didn't have information on when it would be transported to Spencerport for the funeral.

He is survived by his wife and two daughters, aged 3 and 9.