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| Sykes |
A friend found Sykes face down in her above-ground swimming pool the night she drowned. Sykes had told acquaintances earlier in the day that she planned to clean her backyard pool that afternoon. A pool vacuum hose was found on the deck near the water, and Sykes was wearing a swim suit when discovered.
Friends say she had an intolerance for very hot weather. That afternoon, the temperature was 89 degrees with humidity near 100 percent.
Coroner Brad Gilbert said the autopsy, which was done in Louisville by a state medical examiner, found no other contributing cause of death beyond drowning. A toxicology study was also clear.
Sykes had spoken on the phone to a fellow city council member at about 4:30 p.m., the afternoon of her death. She is believed have been in the water for at least two hours prior to being found and pronounced dead at 10:38 p.m.
Marion Police Sgt. Heath Martin, who is the lead officer in the death investigation, said there was absolutely no evidence of foul play, and no further evidence at the scene indicated what might have happened to cause Sykes to accidentally drown.
The 75-year-old Sykes was among three candidates for mayor in the upcoming November election. She had attended a couple of city-related meetings the day of her death and no one saw any indication of her being anything other than her normal energetic self.
