Beloved actor Bob Saget died January 9, 2022. While his death was initially thought to be a stroke or heart attack, the recent release of his autopsy results put those theories to rest and instead raised more questions about what really happened to the man once called America’s Dad.
When Bob Saget‘s body was found in his room at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Orlando, there were no signs of foul play, drug or alcohol use, or injuries. A statement released by the Orange County Medical Examiner a month after his death revealed that the actor had fractures to the back of his head and eyes at the time of his death.
“Per the report, the beloved Full House actor had posterior scalp abrasions, subgaleal hemorrhage (which is blood that forms between skull and scalp), discoloration in the upper and lower eyelids due to skull fracture, subdural hematoma (which is a buildup of blood on the surface of the brain) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (which is bleeding in the space that surrounds the brain),” PEOPLE reported. The coroner reported that the injuries likely happened after a backwards fall.
In the latest issue of PEOPLE, the publication interviewed several people close to the case to find out what Bob Saget was doing during the final hours of his life. A hotel employee recalled seeing the 65-year-old interact with some of his fans during his brief stay.
“He was cracking jokes, waving to people in the lobby,” the hotel employee said. “When people asked for selfies, he would run over and grab their phones to take the pictures with them, joking the whole time. He was a ball happy, positive energy.”
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Sometime around 2 a.m., Saget was seen on surveillance video exiting the elevator on the hotel’s ninth floor. He walked down the hallway to his room, entered his room and hung a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the doorknob before locking the door from the inside.
Authorities who viewed the footage told PEOPLE that the actor “showed no signs of distress” and all seemed normal.
Investigators have now determined what they think happened to Bob Saget. Upon inspection of the hotel room’s counters and tables, no traces of blood or hair were found. Authorities believe that Saget likely lost consciousness in the bathroom and fell backward onto the hard marble floor and struck his head.
Police think it’s possible that Saget regained consciousness and groggily stumbled into bed, where he again lost consciousness and never woke up. They estimate that he died approximately 12 hours before his body was found.