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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Authorities have concluded that the July 2 death of reporter Norma K. Wagner was accidental.
The autopsy report from the state Medical Examiner's Office said Wagner suffered injuries consistent with falling down the stairs.
Wagner, 41, was found dead in her bed in her Avenues home July 2. Her husband, Patrick Harrison, told police that he and Wagner had a verbal confrontation the night before, and at some point during the fight, she fell down a flight of stairs.
He said that he put her to bed and the next morning he could not wake her.
Investigators originally considered some of the injuries suspicious, but police Detective Dwayne Baird said Wednesday that "The evidence we gathered in this case was consistent with the finding of the M.E.'s office."
The medical examiner's report also said Wagner had a substantially elevated blood-alcohol content, and there were signs of a prescription drug in her system, but no signs of illegal drugs, Baird said. Wagner was taking medication for seizures.
Baird said the autopsy closes the case, and no charges will be filed .
Wagner was hired by the Deseret Morning News in October 2001. Before that she worked for the Salt Lake Tribune.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
