Chris Burrous Autopsy Performed

An autopsy has been completed on KTLA5 weekend anchor Chris Burrous, who was found unconscious in a Glendale motel room Thursday afternoon and later pronounced dead at a hospital, but a cause of death has not yet been determined, according to KCBS-TV.

“A cause of death was deferred pending further investigation,” Sarah Ardalani of the coroner’s office said Friday. It often takes several weeks to get the results of toxicology tests.

Saturday’s KTLA’s morning newscast marked the first weekend without Burrous and was dedicated to his memory as his tearful co-anchors shared clips and memories.



Early on, a representative of the Torrance Rose Float Association announced plans to include a remembrance of the veteran anchor on its float during the New Year’s Day parade, an event Burrous was scheduled to help cover.

Richard Stellar, a guest blogger for TheWrap.com entertainment news website was among those who continue to post tributes, photos and other commemorations online.

“He would bond with people – returning military veterans, parents of ill children, immigrants,” Stellar wrote under the headline “Why I’ll Miss KTLA’s Citizen Journalist.” “His microphone, when angled in the direction of his subject, was like a bridge of tolerance and understanding.”

Police were contacted at 1:15 p.m. Thursday by a caller who said a man he was with at the Days Inn, 450 Pioneer Drive, had passed out and was possibly not breathing, according to Sgt. Dan Suttles of the Glendale Police Department.

A dispatcher gave the man instructions on how to perform CPR and he was attempting to administer emergency aid when firefighters arrived, Suttles said.

Glendale firefighters found Burrous, 43, inside the motel room, not breathing, Suttles said. They administered CPR and he was taken to a hospital, where he died.

The original call to police stated Burrous may have overdosed, but detectives will await the Los Angeles County coroner’s office final report for a determination of the cause of death, Suttles said.