"An employee of U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough was found dead in the congressman's Fort Walton Beach branch office Friday morning, but police said there was no evidence of foul play. A couple who was visiting the office about 8 a.m. for an appointment found Lori Klausutis, 28, of Niceville lying near a desk on the floor inside the office, located at 348 Miracle Strip Parkway. Fort Walton Beach Police Chief Steve Hogue said Friday that a preliminary investigation into her death hasn't turned up any evidence of foul play or trauma to her body, nor are there any outward indications of suicide. An autopsy was done Friday to determine the cause of Klausutis' death. The results were not available late Friday night. Police said that there was no sign of a break-in or a struggle inside the office and nothing was believed to have been stolen from Klausutis or the office. Klausutis worked as a constituent services coordinator for Scarborough, a spokeswoman in his Washington office said Friday. It isn't known how long Klausutis was dead before being found, or how long she had been at the office. A prepared statement from Scarborough's Washington office indicated that she may have died as early as Thursday afternoon. "My staff and family are greatly saddened by the loss of Lori Klausutis," Scarborough said in a separate statement issued several hours after her body was found. "I know Lori will be missed by the thousands of citizens who regularly contact my office to seek assistance with a variety of problems. May God grant Lori's family the grace, comfort and hope that will get them through this difficult time." Klausutis' husband and family could not be reached Friday. A sign posted on the door late Friday read, "Congressman Scarborough's office is temporarily closed" and directed visitors to his Pensacola office. Klausutis had worked for Scarborough, R-Pensacola, since May 1999, and was based at the retiring congressman's Fort Walton Beach office, said Miguel Serrano, Scarborough's press secretary. Her duties included handling appointments and walk-in visits from people who wanted to contact Scarborough, Serrano said. Scarborough flew from Washington, D.C. to Pensacola on Friday afternoon, but Serrano said that flight was planned before Klausutis' death. He said that the congressman typically flies home on weekends to spend time with his two sons. Scarborough could not be reached for further comment." Saturday, July 21, 2001

"The medical examiner investigating the death of Lori Klausutis said Saturday there is absolutely no evidence that the 28-year-old employee of U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough was a victim of "foul play." Associate Medical Exam-iner Dr. Michael Berkland will announce how Klausutis died on Wednesday. He is waiting for blood test results and is continuing his investigation into her medical history. "It would be foolish for me to release the cause of death without the toxicology results in my hand because that one little piece of the puzzle can make all the difference in the investigation," said Berkland, who completed an autopsy on Klausutis' body Saturday. "But there is still no suspicion of foul play." ...Berkland said it is likely that Klausutis died sometime Thursday afternoon or evening. "She had been dead for quite awhile before she was found," Berkland said Saturday. "Based on the physical evidence, I feel comfortable moving the time of her death back to the previous day." Klausutis' death was likely accidental or the result of natural causes. Berkland said it is unlikely that her death was a suicide, but will not rule that out until the blood tests are returned. "There is no evidence at all that this was an intentional act, but we can't rule it out just yet," Berkland said. Toxicology reports, performed at a laboratory in Gainesville, will reveal the presence of any drugs or other unnatural substances in Klausutis' body, Berkland said. "I've been cautioning people against saying she died of natural causes because there could have been something present in her system that we can't find until we get those results," he added. Berkland said Klausutis had been involved in a serious car accident as a teenager and still suffered from some lingering medical problems, but it is unknown whether those conditions played a role in her death. Many of her medical records are from another state and Berkland is waiting to review those as well before making an announcement. Fort Walton Beach Police Chief Steve Hogue said he is also awaiting toxicology and medical examiner's reports, though the department's preliminary investigation revealed nothing suspicious inside Scarborough's office. Officers found no signs of a struggle, break-in or robbery, Hogue said....One other employee, Lois Hoyt, worked from Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach office. Hoyt was not in the office at the time of Klausutis' death and could not be reached for comment Saturday. Friends of Klausutis said that they believed Hoyt had been out of state on vacation for several days. Scarborough also could not be reached for additional comment Saturday after expressing regrets about Klausutis' death the day before. Lori's husband, T.J. Klausutis, would not comment on his wife's death Saturday, but friends remembered her as a woman with a consistently positive attitude about life. "She was a very diligent person who cared a lot about her job, her schooling, but most of all, about her family," said Mary Potthast, a friend who served alongside Klausutis on the executive board of the Emerald Coast Young Republicans.Klausutis had served as president of the Young Republicans but stepped down last month to devote more time to her education. She continued her involvement with the organization as treasurer. "She was always sweet, bubbly, caring and considerate," said Potthast, who had known Klausutis for almost four years. Potthast said Klausutis, an avid runner who frequently competed in races with the Northwest Florida Track Club, was "the picture of health." Though Potthast said Klausutis had mentioned having mild seizures during her youth, she didn't believe Klausutis was taking any medications on a regular basis...." --Sunday, July 22, 2001

"Lori Klausutis was buried Wednesday morning, five days after her body was found inside U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach office - but local authorities still have not released the cause of the 28-year-old woman's death. Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Berkland said last week that he would likely be able to release the details of how and why Klausutis died by Wednesday. He said he first needed to look into her medical history and examine the results of blood tests. But Berkland did not return calls Tuesday and was out of town at a conference Wednesday, a secretary said. Berkland now says he will likely release information about the case today. Fort Walton Beach police said they also are waiting for laboratory results before releasing any more information about the investigation into Klausutis' death. "We don't think there is anything suspicious about the case, but we want to firm some things up before we say anything more," said Detective Dan Sequeira, who would not specify what sort of test results they are waiting for. Klausutis, of Niceville, had worked as a constituent services coordinator for Scarborough, R-Pensacola, since May 1999. Scarborough attended Klausutis' funeral service Wednesday at St. Mary's Catholic Church, where Klausutis had been a member of the choir." --Thursday, July 26, 2001

"Repeated attempts Thursday to contact Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Berkland about the death of Lori Klausutis were unsuccessful. Six days after the 28-year-old aide to U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough was found dead inside the congressman's Fort Walton Beach office, local police are still waiting to learn how and why Klausutis died. "We are waiting on a report from the medical examiner," said Fort Walton Beach Police Chief Steve Hogue. Berkland said last Saturday that he would likely be able to announce the cause of Klausutis' death by Wednesday, after receiving the results of blood toxicology tests. But Berkland was out of town for a conference on Wednesday. On Thursday, even though assistants in Berkland's Fort Walton Beach and Pensacola offices said he had returned to the area, Berkland did not return repeated telephone calls. Secretaries at both offices said he had checked in for his messages." --Friday, July 27, 2001

"We saw [Lori Klausutis' death] as a 28-year-old local woman working for this area's congressman, dying without immediate explanation at her office and being found the next morning. By all accounts, she was healthy and vibrant, much loved by everyone who knew her.Because the circumstances were so unusual, combined with Klausutis' job on [Rep.] Scarborough's staff being government-funded and her death happening in the taxpayer-funded office where she worked, that gave us ample reason to seek answers. It might not be something we enjoy. It's simply doing our job. Her grieving family members, understandably distraught in trying to deal with their loss, have been less than pleased with our coverage. It troubles me when people think of us as being coldhearted, overzealous, cynical monsters. We aren't. We care. A lot. We also aren't asking questions just for ourselves. We're asking them on behalf of our readers and their right to know. From the moment we first heard of Lori Klausutis' death, all we wanted and hoped for was a definitive explanation that would bring the story to an end. We could report it, move on and not bother the Klausutis family again. Not hearing from the medical examiner by the time when he had told us to expect a report [has] admittedly caused us frustration." --Ralph Routon, Commentary in Northwest Florida Dail News, Sunday, August 5, 2001

"Scarborough's aide was alone in the office when she passed out and fatally struck her head on a desk."

By TOM McLAUGHLIN, Daily News Staff Writer, 8/7/01

"While a blow to the head was ultimately responsible for the death of Lori Klausutis, an undiagnosed heart condition caused her to collapse and take a fatal fall July 19, a local medical examiner ruled Monday. The 28-year-old aide to U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough probably would have died as a result of the cardiac arrhythmia that rendered her unconscious even if she had not hit her head on a desk. Those are the findings of Okaloosa County Associate Medical Examiner Michael Berkland, who spent an estimated 80 hours unraveling the cause of Klausutis' death. Berkland announced his findings in a news release Monday. Berkland's report labels her death "accidental" and brings to a close an investigation that had dragged on despite an early determination that no foul play was involved. "It kind of leaves me with a sorrowness, but I'm glad it's finally resolved," said Fort Walton Beach Police Chief Steve Hogue, whose department initially investigated the fatality. "It brings some finality for the family." The Klausutis family, which has maintained all along that Lori Klausutis' death was a private matter, declined comment on Berkland's findings. T.J. Klausutis, Lori Klausutis' husband, did commend Berkland on his "thoroughness and attention to detail" in uncovering a cause of death. "He did a wonderful job in finding the right answers without rushing to make a quick diagnosis," he said.

"Klausutis' body was found on the floor of Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach office about 8 a.m., Friday, July 20. She had been working alone in the office the day before and is believed to have fallen between 4:45 p.m. - when she spoke to an associate - and the close of business, Berkland said. Klausutis struck her head on the side of a desk when she fell, Berkland said. The "unprotected" nature of the fall led him to believe the victim was unconscious or losing consciousness when she went down. Blood collected internally within Klausutis' head at the point of impact with the desk. The "blood clot" killed her, Berkland's release said. Berkland acknowledged Monday that Klausutis had sustained a "scratch and a bruise" from the fall that were noted in the original death investigation. On the day the body was found, though, Hogue denied finding any sign of trauma to the body. The original denials were designed to prevent undue speculation about the cause of death, Berkland said.

"The last thing we wanted to do was answer 40 questions about a head injury," he said. Berkland found evidence of a previously undiagnosed "valvular condition of the heart" through analysis of the heart and brain of the victim. Further microscopic analysis confirmed these findings, he said. The heart-valve irregularity is known to cause abnormal heart rhythms, or cardiac arrhythmias, Berkland said. These arrhythmias, found more commonly in women than men, can be as insignificant as a single abnormal heart beat or severe enough to make the heart stand still. The heart palpitation Klausutis felt just before her death was undoubtedly severe, the medical examiner said. "Would she have died of the arrhythmia she had when she was falling? Probably so," he said. "I think she had an arrhythmia that was not allowing oxygenated blood to go to her brain." Klausutis had not been feeling well on the day of her death and told acquaintances she was anxious and jittery, Berkland said. "That's often times what you have when you have heart palpitations," he said. A runner who was by all accounts healthy and physically fit, Klausutis probably felt a wave of lightheadedness just before she passed out and fell, Berkland said. The heart-valve disorder had not been diagnosed before Klausutis died and would not have been something easily discovered, Berkland said. Finding the problem would have required using ultrasonic waves to study the leaflets that control the flow of blood through the heart valves."

Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin can be reached at 863-1111, Ext. 435, or at tomm@nwfdailynews.com

Heart problem contributed to aide's death
Medical examiner says woman hit her head during fall, killing her
Derek Pivnick
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com

"An undiagnosed heart condition contributed to the death of Lori Klausutis, a 28-year-old constituent services coordinator in U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach office. Associate Medical Examiner Michael Berkland released the cause of death Monday, more than two weeks after Klausutis' body was found in the Scarborough's office on the 300 block of Miracle Strip Parkway. She was found July 20 by a couple who had an appointment that morning. "The manner of death is an accident," Berkland said. The immediate cause of death was ruled an acute subdural hematoma, or a blood clot, that resulted from a closed head trauma sustained in a fall.

"Klausutis of Niceville likely suffered cardiac arrhythmia, an irregular heartbeat, caused by disease of a heart valve that had not been diagnosed. Abnormal heart rhythms can empty heart chambers of blood, depriving the brain of blood and causing a person to lose consciousness, Berkland said. Klausutis hit a desk with the side of her head. "She was near unconsciousness as she was falling ... because she did nothing to protect herself" from the fall, Berkland said. An autopsy was conducted the day of her death, but Berkland said toxicology reports, analysis of several internal organs and a complete microscopic examination were needed before releasing the cause of death. Berkland said he wanted to notify Klausutis' husband and family of the cause of death first before releasing it to the public. Klausutis had worked in the office of the Pensacola Republican since May 1999." --PNJ, 8/7/01