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* Lottery winner apparently beaten, left for dead near downtown Cumming
CUMMING – A lottery winner who died after being found unconscious in the middle of Atlanta Highway (Hwy. 9) just off the Cumming square on Saturday, April 22 did not die due to trauma, officials said.
Charles Barrett, 59, was taken off life support in Northside Hospital-Forsyth’s intensive care unit on Wednesday, April 26, where he was transported after Chris Gudaitis, an off-duty paramedic for Cobb County, found him in front of the TitleMax Title Pawn shop shortly after 11:30 p.m. April 22.
Family members and witnesses on scene initially said it appeared Barrett had been beaten, but the Cumming Police Department and Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, which worked jointly on the investigation, “have determined that the cause of death of Charles Barrett was not related to any type of trauma,” Cumming Police Chief Casey Tatum said in a statement Thursday.
“We won’t know the official cause of death until we receive the toxicology report, but there is nothing to substantiate that he was [beaten to death],” Tatum told the Forsyth County News.
He would not comment on whether the law enforcement agencies suspect foul play.
Toxicology reports can take eight to 10 weeks to produce.
In Thursday’s statement, Tatum said Northside staff determined Barrett had suffered “superficial injuries” to his head and one of his knees, which was consistent with a fall.
“Preliminary autopsy results are consistent with preliminary medical results and information collected during the investigation that Barrett’s visible injuries were superficial and no trauma was suffered,” he said.
Cumming police did confirm, however, that original reports from family members who said Barrett’s credit cards had been used while he was in the hospital were correct and that the sheriff’s office is looking into the use of those cards.
Barrett’s family members, including an aunt and cousin, told the Forsyth County News in April he had recently won a large sum of money off a scratch off ticket.