A pathologist says a 37-year-old Angola inmate found dead in his cell in January accidentally died from coronary artery disease, with methamphetamine ingestion listed as a contributing condition.

It wasn't clear how Harold Brooks, as a state prisoner, had access to meth inside the Louisiana State Penitentiary. The West Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office told the WBRZ Investigative Unit that that portion of the investigation was continuing.

At the time Brooks died, Sheriff Brian Spillman said the death was likely due to cardiac arrest, not because of force. Sources told WBRZ that, on the day he died, Brooks had been combative with other inmates and guards.

The Department of Corrections office has stated that it will not comment on a "pending matter," although the agency did note that no one has been placed on leave due to the incident.

Brooks, from Lafayette, died Jan. 24.

An autopsy performed three days after his death noted a number of abrasions and bruises, but did not suggest how long they had been there. One artery had a 90 percent blockage, and others had blockages of 75 percent and 60 percent. The body also showed evidence of life-saving efforts, with defibrillator pads on the torso and electrocardiogram leads.

"It is my opinion that Harold Brooks died as a result of coronary artery disease," pathologist Dr. Christopher Ramos wrote in an autopsy report dated Thursday. "Methamphetamine ingestion contributed to death. For public health and vital statistics purposes, the manner of death is best classified as (an) accident."