Autopsy of Matthew Poole’s body reveals no foul play contributed to his death

An autopsy Friday determined no foul play was involved in the death of Matthew Owen Poole, who’s body was discovered behind Sam’s Club Thursday night.

Poole, 22, of Wolverine Lake was found about 100 yards from the store, 4850 Encore Blvd., at 7:24 p.m. Thursday in Union Township, after an anonymous call to Central Dispatch alerted Isabella County Sheriff’s deputies.

On Friday morning, the sheriff’s department and Mount Pleasant Police Department held a joint press conference and announced Poole’s passing was being ruled a suspicious death.

“It looks like, right now,” Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said, “that it’s natural causes.”

Authorities will know more in a few months when toxicology results of the autopsy are available.
Poole was last seen was last seen at 10:52 p.m. Feb. 5 walking southbound near US-127. He was in Mount Pleasant that weekend to visit friends and had been turned away from O’Kelly’s Sports Bar & Grille, 2000 S. Mission St., because he appeared to be heavily intoxicated.

Friends say Poole left without telling them. A missing person’s report wasn’t filed with Mount Pleasant Police until 24 hours later.

To locate Poole after he went missing, Anthony Gomez-Mesquita, Mount Pleasant director of Public Safety, said officials used “investigative efforts,” including an area LEIN broadcast, a background check, contact with hospitals and country jails.

Michigan State Police, Central Michigan University Police, the county sheriff and Mount Pleasant Police all collaborated to conduct a search across campus and the city of Mount Pleasant by vehicle, foot, bicycle and helicopter.

“Mother nature has hampered our investigations,” Gomez-Mesquita said. “(We) have had a number of snow storms which unfortunately hampered our ability to identify where the body was in the location that it was discovered.”

Gomez-Mesquita said once temperatures increased and snow melted, it revealed the body and the green jacket Poole was last seen wearing.

Police said Poole’s body did not have any visible trauma before the autopsy was performed.