The coroner believed that the man was dead for a full two hours before being placed on the tracks, and that there was not enough blood around the wounds which caused his death. Blood was found on the street near the crime scene, supporting the coroner's theory. Sheriff Sanderson still believed that the man's death was accidental, regardless of the coroner's report, saying, "I think the man fell from the train and was killed." The coroner maintained the verdict that the man had died of knife wounds.