State Chief Medical Examiner David Fowler said the Rey Rivera case will remain open because there is not enough evidence to rule conclusively on his death.
“There are three possibilities: He jumped; He fell accidentally; or he was pushed off the roof,” Fowler said.
Rivera was found dead in a second-floor office of the old Belvedere Hotel in Mount Vernon after his family reported him missing in May.
Fowler said the case was ruled “undetermined” after an investigation, which include a visit to the Belvedere by two medical examiners.
“We walked on the roof and went through the entire building,” he said. “We felt there were not enough facts” to determine whether the manner of death was homicide, suicide, natural causes or an accident.
Newlywed Rivera, 32, left his Northwood home after receiving a call on his cell phone. He did not tell a house guest where he was going or why.
An extensive search by his friends and family led to the discovery of his car in a parking lot near the Belevedere. His body was later discovered in a second-floor conference room.
A hole in the roof indicated that Rivera had fallen from the top of the hotel. Fowler said Rivera?s injuries were consistent with a fall.
Police said Rivera?s death appeared to be a suicide. A note discovered after his death was initially reported as a suicide letter, but later the FBI said it was not. Rivera?s wife, Allison, told The Examiner her husband would not commit suicide.
Fowler said his office did not rule the case a suicide, because Rivera had not attempted suicide or discussed suicide prior to the incident.
Rivera did not sustain any injuries prior to his fall that contributed to his death, he said.
