An autopsy has found that an elderly grandmother who died after a confrontation with a young Tim Hortons employee over an incorrect order suffered a fatal episode of congestive heart failure.
Anita Grayson, 75, was discovered unresponsive on the floor of the Fort Wayne, Indiana, coffee shop in May following a physical altercation with staff.
Emergency crews attempted lifesaving measures, but Grayson was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Nearly two months after the incident, the Allen County Coroner’s Office determined that Grayson died from an “acute exacerbation of congestive heart failure in the setting of physical altercation.”
Her manner of death was classified as “undetermined,” according to records obtained by the Daily Mail.
That designation means officials were unable to conclude whether the death should be considered natural, accidental or a homicide.
The autopsy report also stated that the coroner found “no significant contributory injuries,” indicating that any trauma Grayson may have sustained during the altercation was minor and not considered the cause of death.
Grayson’s daughter, Tawnda, has nevertheless continued to argue that the encounter with the 20-year-old coffee shop worker led to her mother’s death.
Anita Grayson, 75, died from ‘acute exacerbation of congestive heart failure in the setting of physical altercation,’ the Allen County Coroner’s Office has ruled
Surveillance footage showed Grayson entering the Tim Hortons in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on May 13 to complain about a mistake in her order
‘Bulls**t and they know it,’ Tawnda said, sharing the autopsy findings on social media. ‘Guys, keep attention on this, don’t give up asking questions as to why they’re handling this all the wrong ways.’
She urged her community to ‘stand up’ for her mother, claiming that if Grayson ‘would have never entered Tim Hortons she [would] still be alive today.’
But Allen County Coroner Dr E Jon Brandenberger has defended the findings, saying the phrase ‘acute exacerbation’ is important in understanding Grayson’s cause of death.
‘Acute exacerbation means that the heart failure suddenly got much worse,’ Brandenberger told WANE. ‘So, it’s like an acute flare-up of congestive heart failure. Then that will cause symptoms and possibly lead to death.’
He explained that during a physical altercation, the heart pumps faster, which can worsen symptoms of congestive heart failure.
Surveillance footage captured from inside Tim Hortons showed Grayson berating young workers at the shop as she complained about a mistake in her drive-thru order.
The encounter escalated after a 20-year-old employee told Grayson to leave, which police say led her to ‘forcefully’ shove the staff member and another employee.
Grayson then struck one of the workers in the face and ripped out a lock of her hair, police say.
Grayson apparently put her hands in the worker’s face as she berated them
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A worker shoved Grayson backwards after the elderly woman hit her in the face, police said
Grayson was sent tumbling to the ground, and when police arrived ten minutes later, they said she was unresponsive
In response, a worker swung her arms wildly at the elderly woman and knocked her over, before she stood up and was brought a cup of water by the store manager to calm down.
Grayson was unresponsive when officers arrived ten minutes later.
Tawnda shared a segment of the footage showing Grayson being knocked over online, leading to calls for the Tim Hortons workers to be arrested.
Police then released the full video showing Grayson attacked the workers first, saying they hoped the full context would ‘alleviate the uneasiness that many felt after seeing the video.’
Tawnda, however, was not satisfied with the response from police.
She revealed in May that her mother had congestive heart failure, but said she does not accept the police’s account of the incident on May 13.
‘You should not enter a coffee shop for a coffee and a doughnut and come out unalived,’ she told WPTA at the time. ‘That is diabolical.’
‘That’s an elderly lady. That’s not how we treat our senior citizens,’ she said.
‘We be careful with them. We make sure that they’re alright. We don’t jump on them and attack them. And scare them to death.’
Despite the findings, Grayson’s daughter Tawnda has baselessly maintained that her mother’s death was caused by the fight with the 20-year-old coffee shop worker
Brandenberger this week said that there has been an ‘exhaustive investigation and review’ of the evidence in Grayson’s case.
‘After exhaustive review, we could not determine with reasonable certainty that Mrs Grayson’s death was either natural, or homicide, or accident,’ he told WANE.
‘Therefore, the manner of death that is appropriate to use is undetermined, meaning it could not be determined.’
No Tim Hortons employees have been charged in connection with the incident, which remains under investigation.
The Allen County Prosecutor’s Office is expected to receive the final autopsy report from the coroner this week and will then review the findings.
