Riggan death ruled a suicide


The manner of death of Donald Riggan, 32, at 115 Country Club Drive in Henderson on March 26, 2011 has been ruled a suicide.

The death resulted from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.

Of course, all cause of deaths are pending until a death certificate is completed.

As in any case involving the sudden death of any person when the deceased had been in apparent good health or when any death reported to the Henderson Police Department is not attended by a physician, the medical examiner will be notified along with members of the Criminal Investigations Divison of the Henderson Police Department. Any death apparently resulting from acts of violence, poisoning, traffic collisions, suicide, homicide, and any suspicious, unusual, unnatural or unexplained circumstance are examples of when these procedures are followed. Members of the Criminal Investigations Section will be assigned to investigate unnatural deaths as if they are homicides until deemed otherwise.

By the legal definition of homicide, a suicide is a homicide and is investigated as such until further evidence can determine the nature of death. That is why in the course of an investigation an officer may note in a search warrant that he or she is investigating the death as a homicide.

Once further evidence and information is gathered during the course of the investigation, the outcome and determination of the cause of death may change from what is initially treated as a homicide.

Search warrants are used as a tool to preserve the integrity of the evidence.