Hornbeck autopsy results

http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=74656

Autopsy concludes missing soldier died of accidental causes

The Associated Press - SAVANNAH, Ga.

A Fort Benning soldier missing 12 days before his body was discovered
in a downtown hotel died of accidental injuries, according to an
autopsy conducted Saturday.

The autopsy confirmed the body was that of Spc. Robert Hornbeck, 23, of
Lapeer, Mich. A maintenance worker at the DeSoto Hilton hotel found
Hornbeck's body Friday inside a large piece of air-conditioning
equipment after guests complained of a foul odor in the lobby.

An autopsy performed at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab
in Savannah determined Hornbeck was killed after being struck by a
large, spinning blower wheel accessible through a maintenance door,
said Lt. Mike Wilkins, a spokesman for Savannah-Chatham County police.

"At this time, they don't believe there's any evidence of any kind of
foul play," Wilkins said. "At this point, it appears to be an accident.
The GBI medical examiner came to the scene and concurred with our
investigators."

Wilkins said police had not determined how Hornbeck got into the hotel
maintenance area or what he was doing there. He was not a guest at the
hotel. Blood toxicology tests were also being performed. Hornbeck's
father has said he believes his son was intoxicated.

Hornbeck was last seen outside the hotel April 16 after a late night of
bar-hopping with an Army buddy. He answered his cell phone briefly
after his father arrived just after 3 a.m. to give him a ride. He said,
"Dad, I'm on the stairs," then the connection went dead.

Hornbeck traveled to Savannah to spend Easter weekend with his father
and stepmother from Michigan. He had returned to Fort Benning in
January from a yearlong tour in Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division.

Hornbeck was preparing to leave the Army at the end of April and return
to the University of Michigan, where he studied psychology for two
years before joining the Army in 2004.

He also had a wedding date to marry his college sweetheart in July.

The Hornbecks spent nearly two weeks combing Savannah's downtown
historic district. They posted fliers with Robert Hornbeck's photo in
store windows, took out a full-page ad last Sunday in the Savannah
Morning News, and offered a $10,000 reward.

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