BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Bridgeport police have released the cause of death for 53-year-old Brenda Lee Rawls, a woman who police said passed away unexpectedly on Dec. 12.
The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Rawls died of natural causes, with the cause of death being certified as Cardiovascular Disease, and with diabetes playing a factor.
The investigative case will be closed once police receive the official documents from the medical examiner, officials said.
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Bridgeport police have been under scrutiny after Rawls and another Bridgeport woman, 23-year-old Lauren Smith-Fields, were both found dead on the same day in unrelated incidents. The two families accused the police department of failing to notify them about the deaths in a timely manner and for lack of progress in the investigations.
Detectives Angel Llanos and Kevin Cronin, who were assigned to investigate the women's deaths, have been placed on leave during an ongoing internal affairs investigation.
Rawl's family said that they were not made aware of her death, and claimed that they were "mistreated and disrespected" when trying to contact police about the death investigation.
Smith-Field's death is also still under investigation. On Dec. 12, the man she met through an online app called police that morning to report finding her unresponsive in her Bridgeport apartment.
Her family said police did not contact them about Smith-Field's death and they did not find out about her death until two days later when they went to check up on her.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner released Smith-Field's cause of death last month, saying "acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl, promethazine, hydroxyzine, and alcohol" contributed to her death. The manner of death has been ruled as accidental.
A criminal investigation into what led up to Smith-Field's death is underway.
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