Russell Armstrong Suicide

Physically, at least, Russell Armstrong was the picture of health when he chose to take his own life.
According to the official coroner's report obtained by E! News, the medical examiner who performed an autopsy on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills husband detected no illnesses or abnormalities in any of his muscles, organs and bones.


But the investigator's report also paints a chilling picture of what the first responders at the scene saw on the night of Aug. 15—three days after Armstrong was last seen alive by his roommate, who ultimately discovered the body after he started getting calls from people who couldn't get a hold of Armstrong.


Coroner investigator Kristy McCracken noted that Armstrong was found hanging in the northwest corner of his bedroom of the one-story Mullholland Drive home he was living in with a friend. The orange extension cord he used was wrapped three times around a wooden beam and looped twice around his neck.
He was clad in a black T-shirt, black briefs and black socks, his lower legs resting against a bench.

View the coroner report

Marks on his neck and the condition of his body, face, limbs, etc. were all consistent with his apparent cause of death—suicide by hanging, the report states. Detectives at the scene did not suspect foul play and the eventual autopsy agreed with the supposition.

Per the report, Armstrong was officially identified early the following morning through a fingerprint scan, but a Det. Jones told McCracken that a friend had informed Armstrong's wife, Taylor, of his death sometime on the night he was found.

Deputy Medical Examiner Yulai Wang signed off on the official cause of death on Wednesday, after toxicology screens came back negative for drugs and alcohol.