Man who died in jail had heart disease

O'FALLON, Mo. -- A northeast Missouri man who died in the O'Fallon city jail was suffering from heart disease, according to preliminary results from an autopsy.

St. Charles County Medical Examiner Mary Case's examination showed no signs of physical trauma for Brad Foutes, 51, of New London, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Tuesday.

Police said Foutes appeared to be drunk when he was placed in the cell just before 9 p.m. Saturday, soon after his arrest at a bar on charges of disturbing the peace and resisting arrest.

A jail compliance officer noticed Foutes snoring loudly about 15 minutes after he was placed in the cell. But at 9:23 p.m., he was found unresponsive, police said.

Officers unsuccessfully tried to revive Foutes before he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.

Before being jailed, paramedics changed bandages under Foutes' arm and on his back. Foutes told police he recently had surgery for skin cancer and the removal of a lymph node under his arm.

Case told the Post-Dispatch that toxicology reports were pending.