SPRINGFIELD, ILL. (AP) -- UPDATED: January 21 at 6:59 a.m.
A coroner's jury has ruled Springfield Mayor Timothy Davlin's death a suicide.
A Sangamon County inquest Thursday determined the 53-year-old Democrat died of a close-contact bullet wound to the heart in a vehicle parked at his home Dec. 14.
Investigators say they found no note from Davlin. They say there were no signs of foul play and no drugs or alcohol in his body.
Davlin apparently called 911 from a cordless landline phone in his car but hung up.
He died the morning he was to show up at a court hearing to give a financial accounting for an estate he was handling. The IRS also said he owed $90,000 in back taxes.
The two-term mayor had recently announced he would not seek re-election.
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UPDATED: December 17 at 9:55 p.m.
Illinois' capital city of Springfield will begin saying goodbye to its mayor, three days after he was found dead at his home of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Visitation was planned from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. Friday at Springfield's Blessed Sacrament Church for Timothy Davlin, whose funeral will be Saturday at the church.
Davlin's body was found by police the same day he was to have appeared in court for a hearing involving his handling of a relative's estate.
A coroner says an autopsy revealed that Davlin died of what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She said a coroner's jury eventually would make a determination whether the shooting was
a suicide or accidental.
Davlin had been mayor since 2003 and said recently he would not seek re-election next spring.
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UPDATED: December 15 at 3:26 p.m.
A coroner says the mayor of Illinois' capital city died in his home of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Timothy Davlin was found dead Tuesday after a 911 call.
Davlin had been Springfield mayor since 2003 and has announced he would not seek a third term.
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UPDATED: December 14 at 4:09 p.m.
The Illinois State Police (ISP) announced Tuesday it has been requested by the Springfield Police Department to conduct an investigation into the death of Springfield Mayor Timothy J. Davlin.
At this point in the investigation, the ISP is conducting an investigative canvas of Mayor Davlin’s neighborhood, conducting investigative interviews, and processing the incident scene to include a search of the property.
Illinois State Police Investigators will attend the autopsy which is currently scheduled to take place on December 15.
The ISP would like to extend its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Mayor Davlin, and to the residents of Springfield.
KHQA has also been told that no additional information will be provided until the investigation has been completed.
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Illinois State Police are investigating the death of Springfield's mayor, whose body was found in his home.
Police Chief Robert Williams says officers responded to a 911 call shortly before 9:00 a.m. Tuesday at Timothy Davlin's home and found the Democratic mayor dead.
Williams declines to offer details about how Davlin died, saying the investigation is in its infancy.
Williams says Springfield police have turned over the matter to Illinois State Police, which declined to give details.
In October, the State Journal-Register in Springfield reported that Davlin owed the federal government nearly $90,000 in unpaid income taxes and liens had been filed against his home.
The mayor then blamed the problem on a dispute with the IRS over taxes owed on investments he cashed in to buy the home.
“Today’s news of the death of Mayor Tim Davlin is truly a tragedy. Tim was a great public servant who loved Springfield and its people. The city of Springfield is a better place because of his leadership. As Mayor, Tim led the community through some of its most difficult times and worked hard to revitalize the city. He was not only a champion for Springfield, but also for the entire state, and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him. My thoughts and prayers are with the Davlin family during this most difficult time.”
- Statement from Governor Pat Quinn
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We have heard with great sorrow of the death of Springfield’s Mayor Timothy Davlin. We commend him to the mercy of God and offer our prayers for him and his family.
- Statement issued by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki
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