Maryland AG finds no basis to reopen 2006 Baltimore County death case

The Maryland Attorney General's Office (OAG) announced it found insufficient evidence to reopen a criminal investigation into the 2006 death of Thomas Rawls, which involved restraint by Baltimore County Police officers, according to WBFF and FOX45 Baltimore.

The OAG completed its review of the investigative file, which included law enforcement and Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) records. The OCME originally classified Rawls' death manner as "Undetermined" following an autopsy on March 3, 2006.

The Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office previously declined to pursue criminal charges related to Rawls' death. Nearly 20 years later, independent medical examiners reviewed the case prompted by a state audit and concluded the death should have been classified as "Homicide."

Despite this, the OCME has not changed the original certification of the manner or cause of death. The OAG agreed with the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s decision and found no justification to reopen the case or pursue prosecution.

The review was conducted as part of an executive order examining 41 restraint-related deaths in Maryland from 2003 to 2019. At the request of Rawls' family counsel, the OAG is not releasing further investigative details at this time.