COLUMBIA, Missouri (KMIZ)
The Boone County deputy coroner has ruled the cause of death of the Boone County deputy fire chief, who died in July, to be drowning.
Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Fire Chief Matthew Tobben, 42, died July 8 while assisting Columbia Fire Department personnel in a water rescue operation.
According to the final diagnostic report, Tobben’s cause of death was drowning. The cause of death was also classified as an accident.
Deputy Medical Examiner Edward Adelstein wrote in his report that Tobben did indeed have water in his airways, as well as hyperinflation of the lungs, bleeding in the terminal lobes of his lungs, and bruising on his left lower leg and upper chest.
The autopsy report states that the injuries included an irregularly shaped bruise on the left lower leg around the knee and a small irregularly shaped bruise on the left chest. The report also stated that there was foam around the mouth.
When examining most of Tobben’s body, the coroner found nothing unusual.
Adelstein wrote that there were no abnormalities of the scalp or skull. The report describes Tobben as a “well-developed, well-nourished man whose appearance is consistent with his stated age of 42 years.”
The toxicological report states that the examination revealed “no positive findings of toxicological significance.”
Deputy Fire Chief Gale Blomenkamp said in July that Tobben had just started his job as the department’s training director on May 1.
Previously, Tobben spent 19 years with the Union, Missouri Fire Department and also served 12 years with Missouri Task Force 1.
Tobben leaves behind a wife and two children. A memorial service was held in his hometown of Union, Missouri, where hundreds of people gathered to pay their final respects to Tobben.
