Death Of Bryan 'Feather Lynn' Higgins Ruled A Homicide [Updated]

Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the death of 31-year-old Bryan 'Feather Lynn' Higgins, who was taken off life support on August 13th, 2014 after being beaten unconscious near the corner of Church and Duboce three days prior. According to the Bay Area Reporter, the medical examiner's office has now ruled that Higgins' death was a homicide. The method of death in the report is listed as "assault," with the cause given as "complications of ruptured cerebral artery aneurysm” with “physical altercation." 

“The most likely cause of the aneurysmal rupture is a blow to the left side of the head," the report states. "If the aneurysm was pre-existing, a blow to the head may have caused the rupture, or the effects of being in a fight with concomitant rise in blood pressure and stress may have caused the aneurysm to burst.” It also notes that when Higgins was examined at the scene, he had “no visible trauma, bleeding, or deformity anywhere on his body. No head injury was noted,” and there was “[n]o injury to his mouth or bleeding from his ears.”

No arrests have been made in the case, but according to the BAR, SFPD spokesman Albie Esparza said in an email exchange earlier this year that a “person of interest” had been identified, but was “not a suspect ...We are waiting still on the results of the medical examiner’s autopsy to see if it’s a homicide. We have to wait for the cause officially.”

Image: via SFPD

The SFPD had previously released video stills of the primary suspect in the beating, a man wearing a dark jacket and red hoodie, but had not given any indication as to whether or not he had been found or questioned. 

Hoodline has reached out to the SFPD for comment on the case and the current status of the person of interest, and will update this post accordingly.

Update, 8/24: According to the SFPD, no information on the persons of interest/case file information will be public record unless an arrest is made. The SFPD will meet with the District Attorney to further discuss the case.

As for an inquiry into the time it took to determine a cause of death for Higgins, The SF Medical Examiners office told us that the investigation was interagency, and that the collaborative approach between the San Francisco Police Department Homicide Division, the San Francisco Fire Department assessment reports, and records documenting the decedent’s hospital course all determined the cause and manner of death.