Autopsy fails to determine cause of death for Slipknot bassist found in Des Moines-area hotel

Autopsy fails to pinpoint cause of bassist’s death

DES MOINES, Iowa — An autopsy failed Tuesday to determine how Slipknot bassist Paul Gray died at a suburban Des Moines hotel, and it likely will be weeks before toxicology results are available that could determine the cause of death, police said.

Gray, a founding member of the Grammy-winning Des Moines metal band, was found dead Monday in a room at the hotel in Urbandale. Gray, 38, lived in Johnston, a nearby suburb.

Urbandale police released a statement Tuesday that said the autopsy was completed but the death remained under investigation. Polk County Medical Examiner Gregory Schmunk said it could be four to six weeks before toxicology results are available.

Police say the autopsy did confirm there was no evidence of foul play or trauma, and that Gray had been dead for several hours when a hotel worker found his body.

Urbandale Sgt. Dave Disney said a worker at the TownePlace Suites went to Gray’s room after an unidentified relative called the hotel and asked them to check on him. The relative had made several unsuccessful calls to Gray before seeking help from the hotel.

Disney said Gray had wanted some time to himself.

“There’d been a number of issues that led him to want to have, I think, just some alone time,” Disney said. “He went there to be by himself, and he had various reasons.”

Slipknot emerged in the mid-1990s as a band known for its grotesque masks, trashing sound and aggressive, dark lyrics. Slipknot’s 1999 debut album sold about 2 million copies, and the band won a Grammy in 2006 for best metal performance for the song “Before I Forget.”

Concert industry trade publication Pollstar ranked Slipknot 18th in its Top 20 Concert Tours list in 2009.