A police investigation ruled Fuller, 24, who struggled with mental health issues, took his own life on June 10 in a California park.
The death of Robert Fuller, whose body was found hanging from a tree in California last month, has officially been ruled a suicide.
A police investigation discovered Fuller, 24, had struggled with mental health issues and took his own life on June 10 in a Palmdale park.
The initial autopsy suspected a suicide, but Fuller’s family disputed that. His relatives hired an attorney and said they would commission a private inquest into the man's death.
Authorities have now said their initial determination was correct.
"The medical examiner issued their final autopsy report and delivered it to the sheriff's department, and deemed this case to be a suicide," Los Angeles Sheriff 's Office Cmdr.Chris Marks said at a news conference on Thursday.
Marks added that Fuller had gone to a hospital in February 2019 and claimed he was hearing voices that told him to kill himself. He was also treated for being suicidal in November, authorities said. The FBI's Civil Rights Division monitored the department's investigation.
Hundreds of people protested at the park where Fuller's body was found, demanding a thorough investigation.
The body of another Black man hanged from a tree was discovered in a separate incident. Malcolm Harsch, 38, was found dead in Victorville, about 50 miles away, on May 31.
His family was also initially skeptical that he had killed himself, but later acknowledged his death was a suicide after viewing surveillance footage.
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