PAC’s death is still under a microscope, and the latest information about what the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office is doing behind the scenes makes the situation even more intriguing.
Dave Meltzer wrote in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that someone who works closely with the medical examiner’s office explained how these cases are usually handled. That person does not have direct knowledge of Benjamin Satterley’s specific case, but said the decision to order additional studies after an autopsy generally means examiners did not find an obvious answer right away.
According to the person familiar with the office, major natural causes like a heart attack, stroke, aneurysm or significant heart damage are typically visible during the initial autopsy.
“According to someone who works closely with the office, but does not have knowledge of the Satterley case in specific, when they order additional studies following the autopsy it is usually not what they believe to be a natural death, such as a stroke, heart attack/damage, aneurysm, etc. Those would be apparent upon the initial autopsy and they will normally make their ruling upon this and go from there.”
That doesn’t mean the medical examiner has ruled out a natural death in PAC’s case. It does mean the office apparently was not ready to make an immediate call based on the autopsy alone. There’s also another wrinkle. Because Satterley’s death is considered high-profile, the office may simply be moving with extra caution before releasing anything publicly. Meltzer also explained that the silence itself likely means the medical examiner still feels there isn’t enough information to make a final ruling.
“Now, because this is such a high-profile case, that may be why no information is being released because they would not want to say anything until they are conclusive.”
“Basically, not announcing anything would mean that they feel they don’t have enough information to make a ruling at this point.”
The “additional studies” could be where the real answer is hiding. According to the person familiar with the office, that language commonly points to toxicology testing.
“The term additional studies that they have said is normally toxicology reports, which could take as long as three months, although they have indicated they believed they would have information in a few weeks.”
That timeline could explain why there has been no official cause of death yet despite PAC passing away at just 40 years old. Ringside News previously covered the police report detailing PAC’s final hours, including the fact that his phone still had Google Maps open with directions to Chicago O’Hare International Airport. A woman who later spoke with police said he planned to stop at CAVA for lunch before catching a delayed flight back to the United Kingdom.
Police said there were no obvious signs of foul play or accidental injury. They did note saliva on the front of Satterley’s shirt and found an undisclosed medication inside the vehicle, though the type of medication was redacted from the public report. The 911 call later painted an even darker picture of just how suddenly things unfolded. The woman who found Satterley said his rental vehicle was still running while he remained completely unresponsive inside.
“We’ve been banging on the window for I want to say, like, five minutes now. His face is, like, straight down. Apparently their eyes are open, too. I don’t see his chest moving at all.”
First responders rushed to the scene and attempted life-saving measures, but Satterley was pronounced dead at approximately 4:08 p.m. At this point, all eyes are on the medical examiner’s office. The fact that additional studies were ordered means there was no quick answer coming out of the initial autopsy, and now the case is stuck waiting on whatever those extra tests reveal. Until then, PAC’s official cause of death remains a mystery — and the medical examiner clearly isn’t ready to close the book just yet.
What do you think the additional testing could reveal about PAC’s death? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
