Bags of 'white rocklike substance' found in stomach of Waukegan man who died in police custody

An earlier version of this story misstated Avion C. Cotton's first name.

The Waukegan man who died after swallowing bags of an unknown substance while fleeing police was identified as Avion C. Cotton by officials Friday.

Cotton, 31, died Thursday just hours after being released on bail for drug charges. Coroner Howard Cooper said his office performed the autopsy Friday.

“There were no signs of physical trauma seen during the autopsy, however, multiple bags containing a white rocklike substance were found in his stomach and esophagus,” Cooper said in a news release.

Cooper said the cause of death is pending, as are the results of a toxicology test his office performed.

Officers went to a residence on the 600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue to serve a search warrant for narcotics, according to a Waukegan Police Department news release.

Cotton drove up, exited his vehicle and started to walk toward the home, police said. He ran away when detectives approached him, the news release said.

As Cotton ran, he started to eat a white substance, according to the release. Once police caught him, he continued to chew despite being told to spit the substance out, authorities said.

Cotton then showed signs of distress, and paramedics took him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to Lake County Court records, Cotton had been in Lake County jail on the day he died. He was charged in March with possessing an illegal controlled substance. He went before Judge George Strickland Thursday morning for a hearing related to his case. According to court records, Cotton posted 10 percent of his $30,000 bail and was released from custody after the hearing.