Autopsy Reveals Cause of Death for Woman Who Died After Tim Hortons Fight

(The Elderly Grandmother. Photo Credit; Daily Mail)

An elderly grandmother who di£d while att@cking a young Tim Hortons worker over a mistake in her order succumbed to congestive heart failure, an autopsy has revealed.

Anita Grayson, 75, was found unresponsive on the floor of the coffee shop in Fort Wayne, Indiana, after getting into a brawl with staff in May.

Paramedics attempted to save her, but she was pronounced d£ad at a nearby hospital.

Nearly two months after the fatal fight, the Allen County Coroner’s Office has ruled that Grayson di£d from “acute exacerbation of congestive heart failure in the setting of physical altercation.”

The coroner listed her manner of d£ath as “undetermined,” according to documents obtained by an international news outlet, meaning the medical examiner could not say with certainty whether her d£ath was natural, accidental or a homicide.

The autopsy also noted that the coroner found “no significant contributory injuries,” suggesting that any physical trauma sustained during the brawl was minor and did not cause her d£ath.

Despite these findings, Grayson’s daughter Tawnda has maintained that her mother’s d£ath was caused by the fight with the 20-year-old coffee shop worker, dismissing the autopsy findings on social media and urging her community to keep asking questions about how the case has been handled.

She claimed that had her mother never entered the Tim Hortons outlet, she would still be alive today.

Allen County Coroner Dr E Jon Brandenberger has defended the findings, explaining that the term “acute exacerbation” is key to understanding Grayson’s cause of d£ath.

He said acute exacerbation means the heart failure suddenly got much worse, describing it as an acute flare-up of congestive heart failure that could cause symptoms and possibly lead to d£ath.

He explained that during a physical altercation, the heart pumps faster, which can worsen symptoms of congestive heart failure.

Surveillance footage captured from inside the Tim Hortons outlet showed Grayson berating young workers as she complained about a mistake in her drive-thru order.

The encounter escalated after a 20-year-old employee asked Grayson to leave, which police say led her to forcefully shove the staff member and another employee. Grayson then struck one of the workers in the face and pulled out a lock of her hair, according to police.

In response, a worker swung her arms at the elderly woman and knocked her over, before she got back up and was brought a cup of water by the store manager to calm her down. Grayson was found unresponsive when officers arrived ten minutes later.

Tawnda shared a segment of the footage showing Grayson being knocked over, which led to calls for the Tim Hortons workers to be arrested.

Police subsequently released the full video showing that Grayson had att@cked the workers first, saying they hoped the fuller context would ease the unease many felt after watching the earlier clip.

Tawnda, however, remained unsatisfied with the police response.

She revealed in May that her mother had congestive heart failure but said she does not accept the police account of the May 13 incident, arguing that a person should not enter a coffee shop for a coffee and doughnut and end up d£ad, describing the situation as deeply wrong and insisting that elderly citizens should not be treated that way.

Brandenberger said this week that there had been an exhaustive investigation and review of the evidence in Grayson’s case, stating that after thorough review, investigators could not determine with reasonable certainty whether her d£ath was natural, a homicide, or accidental, and that “undetermined” was therefore the appropriate classification.

No Tim Hortons employees have been charged in connection with the incident, which remains under investigation.

The Allen County Prosecutor’s Office is expected to receive the final autopsy report from the coroner this week and will then review the findings.

Tim Hortons, in a statement, said it was deeply saddened to learn of the incident and extended its condolences to Anita Grayson’s loved ones, adding that the health and safety of its guests and team members remains its highest priority and that the local franchisee has been cooperating fully with police.