The state Medical Examiner’s Office says it is nearing the end of its investigation into the death of Patrick Lobor, a 22-year-old Portland man who died of a stab wound to the chest after crashing his car on Brighton Avenue in late July.
Meanwhile, Lobor’s family is still waiting for an explanation that answers their questions.
Portland police have said they determined that no crime was committed, which suggests that he may have stabbed himself, either by accident or on purpose. But detectives have also declined to release any details about how they reached their conclusion, and the family has previously released a statement saying they disagree with the finding that there was no criminal element.
The Medical Examiner’s Office declared that the cause of death was the stab wound but it has continued to investigate how the death occurred, whether homicide, accident or suicide. Authorities say they expect to complete the investigation and release a report by early October after a meeting between police and medical examiner staff.
“This is not uncommon, for the doctor to sit down with all other investigators involved and make sure all questions have been answered,” said Mark Belserene, an administrator for the medical examiner’s office, in an email. “Many times the law enforcement investigation and report will assist our medical examiners in determining or confirming the manner of death.”
Lobor’s death was mysterious from the start.
He died after his car struck a vehicle that had stopped for a red light at Brighton and Riverside Street, pushing that car into an SUV. Police said Lobor got out of his car, stumbled to the middle of the intersection and collapsed. He died at the scene.
Police briefed Lobor’s family after his autopsy to inform them they had concluded no crime had been committed, but family members say they are dissatisfied with the explanation.
Reached Tuesday, Lobor’s father, Robert Lado Lobor, said he was not aware of the upcoming medical examiner’s meeting with police.
“Up to now, we hear nothing,” Robert Lobor said. “They didn’t tell us anything.”
The family, in a previous statement, said they respect the work done by Portland Police but want answers to questions that linger about Lobor’s death.
“The information we received and what the police shared with the media raises more questions than answers,” the family said following the death.
According to the family, Lobor was running some errands immediately before he died and was behaving normally, with nothing out of character. He was gone from the family’s Munjoy Hill home less than two hours before he died, they said.
“We know our son,” Robert Lobor wrote.
In high school, Lobor was a multisport athlete in basketball and football at Deering High School, where he helped lead his team to a basketball state championship in 2012. He was a center on the 2016-17 Southern Maine Community College Sea Wolves basketball team and studied health sciences at the community college, according to the Sea Wolves website. His father said he worked at a South Portland hotel.
The death is the second tragedy the family has endured in recent years. Patrick’s brother, Richard Lobor, was shot in the head and died at age 23 on Nov. 21, 2014, at an apartment at 214 Brighton Ave. His murderer, Abdirahman Hussein Haji-Hassan, was arrested and convicted.
Matt Byrne can be contacted at 791-6303 or at:
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