Daniel Erving died of accidental drowning, autopsy finds, as teens face charges of evidence tampering
As two Texas teens face charges of evidence tampering in the death of Daniel Erving, an autopsy report obtained by ABC News on Tuesday found that the 18-year-old died of "accidental drowning."
"Once the decedent became submerged and didn't resurface, the other two individuals disposed of the decedent's belongings and failed to report the incident to authorities, leading to the decedent not being found for four days," the report states.
It notes that police interviewed those individuals.
"Despite initial suspicions, there are no current suspicions of foul play. Should further information come to light in the future, the cause and/or manner of death may be amended," the report concludes.
The autopsy was performed by the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences, which conducts them for the Dallas County Office of the Medical Examiner.
The report comes amid an ongoing investigation into the teen's death as 19-year-old Lucas Roper and a 17-year-old minor are being accused of disposing of some of Erving's belongings and concealing evidence after his death.
The teens did not respond to ABC News' requests for comment. It is unclear if they have retained attorneys.
Sean Daridia, an attorney for Erving's family, told ABC News on Tuesday that they "disagree with the findings due to the fact that the investigation is still pending."
He said that the family is conducting their own "independent" investigation.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by ABC News, Erving was reported missing by the Rowlett Police Department on April 13 after he was last seen with Roper and a 17-year-old juvenile at Lake Ray Hubbard in Rowlett, a Dallas suburb.
Investigators allege the three jumped into the water from a railroad bridge near the 6300 block of Miller Road, where Erving drowned. His body was recovered on April 17. The affidavit alleges that after Erving drowned, Roper and the juvenile fled the scene in Roper's vehicle and then discarded some of Erving's belongings.
Investigators allege that Roper threw Erving's clothing into a tree line near the bridge, and that the juvenile threw Erving's cellphone from the vehicle after Roper told him to do so.
Roper allegedly admitted to detectives during a voluntary interview that he "panicked" after Erving drowned and that he and the juvenile fled the scene, the affidavit states.
Roper also admitted to deleting all communications with Erving from his cellphone because he "was aware that there would be an investigation into Daniel Erving's death and he did not want to get into trouble," according to the affidavit.
"A reasonably minded person would know that if you were not guilty of a crime, why would you throw away his phone, throw away his clothes and not call his mother," Erving's mother, Tameka Erving, said during a press conference on July 13. "I want justice for my son. I want justice for Daniel."
A spokesperson for the Rowlett Police Department told ABC News on Monday that the Dallas Police Department (DPD) is the "lead agency investigating this case, as Daniel's death occurred within the City of Dallas."
"The Rowlett Police Department is assisting DPD as requested and will continue to provide support throughout the investigation," the statement continued.
A spokesperson for DPD told ABC News on Tuesday that there "no updates at this time."
ABC News' Synai Ferrell contributed to this report.
