POLICE INVESTIGATE WHAT CAUSE MAN'S FALL TO DEATH AT APARTMENT

Police said Monday that foul play apparently wasn't involved in the death of a 42-year-old Cape Girardeau man at an apartment complex.

Vernon Collins, 42, of 45 S. West End Blvd. died Friday after what appears to have been a fall from the apartment complex in which he lived. Collins lived on the fourth floor of the complex, and his body was discovered on the parking lot directly in line with the front door of his apartment.

City police Lt. John Brown said it appears Collins' fall was accidental, but the cause of the fall is still under investigation. Officially, Collins' death is still viewed as suspicious, Brown said.

Police were called to the scene shortly before 8 p.m. Friday. Brown said there is no evidence that anyone else was around at the time Collins fell.

Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Carpenter said it does not appear that Collins was a victim of homicide. An autopsy performed Sunday revealed "injuries consistent with a high-velocity fall," Carpenter said.

Whether Collins fall was an accident or suicide could not be determined, Carpenter said. He also said it was possible that Collins was pushed, although no information has been given to police to suggest that anyone tried to kill him.

Collins' death has been ruled as an undetermined death, which allows police to pursue the cause if more evidence comes to light, Carpenter said.