Staff at the apartment complex where former Dallas Cowboys running back, Marion Barber III, lived had made multiple attempts to contact him before his body was discovered on June 1.
As reported by The Dallas Express, Barber, 38, was found dead in an apartment he was leasing in the 9400 block of Stratton Drive. Frisco police officers responding to a welfare check found him.
The Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office released a report on Monday, July 11, that showed that Barber died of an accidental heat stroke.
One of Barber’s neighbors submitted a service request on May 11 after water leaked into their apartment from Barber’s, according to the incident report from the Frisco Police Department. CBS DFW reported that an employee at the complex shut off water to Barber’s apartment and scheduled another service visit to fix the issue after failing to reach the former Cowboys player.
Barber’s apartment doors were dead bolted from the inside, signifying that there was someone in the unit.
Apartment staff tried to reach Barber again on May 12 and 13 but got no response. Employees also made numerous phone calls to Barber in an effort to contact him, but the calls went unanswered for about two weeks. The incident report revealed that employees’ calls to Barber began going straight to voicemail, indicating that his phone had died.
The apartment complex employees became concerned and called Frisco police after a letter left on Barber’s door went untouched for a week. Officers and firefighters eventually broke into Barber’s apartment, with one officer noting upon entrance that the apartment’s smell was consistent with death.
Responding officers found Barber’s decomposing body in the bathtub of the master bathroom. While it was reported that the water was turned off, the coroner’s report said the faucet to the bathtub was “left running” and the thermostat was set to 91 degrees with the heat turned “on.”
His autopsy report showed no signs of injuries or illegal drug use. However, the report revealed that there were indications that he had used an antihistamine, which is associated with an increased risk for heat-related illness.