Lexington, SC (WLTX) - An autopsy commissioned by attorneys of a Lexington orthopedic surgeon points to natural causes in the death of his wife, Vanessa Biery. However, the Lexington County Coroner says it's still unclear how Biery died, but no evidence has been found to show that her death was natural.
Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher released information Wednesday afternoon about the death of Vanessa Biery. She was the wife of Dr. Adam Lazzarini.
On May 1, Biery was found dead inside the couple's home on Hunter Mills Drive.
Cayce Public Safety Director Byron Snellgrove said earlier this month her death is considered "suspicious," but did not elaborate.
Fisher says an official autopsy was performed on her body back on May 3 at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. During the procedure, "no apparent evidence was found to indicate that Mrs. Biery's death was natural," Fisher says.
Fisher says more studies, including toxicology tests, need to be done.
The coroner's statement seems to be in response to information released to media outlets by Lazzarini's attorneys. They are claiming that an apparent independent autopsy determined Biery's death was "most likely" due to natural causes.
In a phone conversation Wednesday evening, one of Lazzarini's attorneys, Eric Bland, says their private autopsy was performed by James Folcher, a pathologist in the upstate. Bland says the autopsy found no malicious injury eternally or internally to Biery and said she did not die of any blunt force. Bland says the autopsy found elevated swelling of the liver and internal organs, which could have been a sign of a heart condition.
But Fisher says at this point, the official autopsy has made no determination.
Meanwhile, when Cayce officers were searching Biery's home, they remembered being there on October 9, 2017 to investigate the death of 30-year-old William Holland. That death had originally been believed to be an accidental shooting.
But after they began investigating again, officers brought charges this month of involuntary manslaughter and obstructing justice against Lazzarini. A warrant says Lazzarini pointed the gun at Holland's chest, and the weapon went off.
The warrant says afterward, Lazzarinia made false and conflicting statements to officers. Investigators also say he didn't give them information about a witness to the shooting, which officers felt obstructed justice. The document also claimed the doctor had been drinking before Holland's death.
Lazzarini is an orthopedic surgeon for Southeastern Orthopedic and Sports Medicine at the Lexington Medical Center.