CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Officer found a preliminary cause of death for the Clinton Township man whose body was found in a ventilation system at Macomb Community College last weekend.
The report found that 36-year-old Jason Anthony Thompson died of asphyxia after he became trapped in the ventilation system. The report said his death was accidental.
The medical examiner’s office is still waiting for the toxicology report.
Thompson's body was found Sunday night in the vents after reports of a foul odor at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts. Thompson was reported missing to the Sterling Heights Police Department on Nov. 1 and hasn't been seen by family since Oct. 25.
The building his body was found in was closed to students this week. Classes in an adjacent building were being relocated, and that building is set to reopen on Monday.
Foul play is not suspected in his death.
In a Thursday update from the Macomb College Police Department, the preliminary cause of death was released. Investigators also found that Thompson was alone and did not bring supplies like food or water with him.
The update also said Thompson believed he was being chased by police. He had five warrants for his arrest, but investigators didn’t find “evidence that any law enforcement agency was actively pursuing him.”
Police say Thompson did not communicate to loved ones that he was trapped or needed help. However, he did ask for a ride from the school.
“He made a deliberate decision to unlawfully enter the building’s ventilation system once on the roof, entering an air vent not designed to accommodate human access,” Macomb College police said in their update. “Once entering the system from the roof, he kept breaking through barriers and burrowing deeper into the HVAC system, traversing a great distance through the duct work across the entire mechanical room. Ultimately, he came to a duct that was vertical in a downward direction, which he entered head first, getting stuck when encountering a narrowed section.”
Police said he was then “in an inverted position” that he could not get out of. They added that he would not have been able to kick or use his arms.
