Autopsy: Hagerstown man died of natural causes in Frederick County jail

FREDERICK, Md. — Authorities have determined that a 49-year-old Hagerstown man who died in a Frederick County jail in October died of natural causes.

Robert John Bitler Jr., who was arrested Oct. 5 for a probation violation, was being held in the Frederick County Adult Detention Center without bond.

Correctional officers found Bitler unresponsive in his cell just after 6:50 a.m. on Oct. 7, according to a news release from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.

Correctional officers tried unsuccessfully to revive Bitler, the release said.

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Although it was initially believed Bitler might have suffered some type of medical emergency, his cause of death was unclear when he was found. Sheriff's department detectives then started an investigation into Bitler's death.

Jail logs show that staff made required cell checks throughout the night before Bitler was found, with the last check being made at approximately 6:47 a.m., according to the release.

An autopsy of Bitler showed his death was natural and the cause was determined to be “intracerebral hemorrhage in the setting of hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease," according to the release.

An intracerebral hemorrhage is bleeding into the brain tissue and the second most common cause of stroke, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgens. Hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is high blood pressure caused by hardening of the arteries, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

The autopsy also showed Bitler suffered from a “chronic drug abuse" condition.

Sheriff's office spokesman Todd Wivell said Friday afternoon he did not know what the initial charge was against Bitler that led to the violation of probation.

“This investigation affirmed that our correctional officers conducted all security rounds and followed all cell check policies and procedures,” Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said in the release.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Autopsy shows Hagerstown man died of natural causes in jail