In this photo taken Monday night, Nov. 30, 2015, DJ Thomson, right, and Joyce Levine light candles on Kennedy Street after hearing about the death of Mayor Stephen "Greg" Fisk in Juneau, Alaska. Fisk,... (Associated Press) 
 
 JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The police chief in Alaska's capital city defended his department's response after the newly elected mayor was found dead at home, bruised and bloodied, and speculation ran rampant as to the cause of his death. 
 
 The speculation was fueled — and the attention surrounding the case grew — when police did not immediately rule out foul play in the death of Mayor Stephen "Greg" Fisk, 70. Police deferred until autopsy results came back. 
 
 Sometimes, it's obvious at the scene that a person died of natural causes. "In this case, we just can't confirm that yet or rule anything out," police spokeswoman Erann Kalwara said Tuesday. 
 
 Fisk's death made national headlines this week and garnered notice far outside Juneau's remote location. 
 
 On Wednesday, preliminary autopsy results indicated that Fisk, who went by Greg, died of natural causes and that the injuries he sustained were consistent with falling or stumbling into objects. 
 
 During a news conference, police chief Bryce Johnson said Fisk had a history of heart problems. He said it's believed that Fisk had some issues with his heart and fell. 
 
 No one had witnessed the death, and when the first person to find Fisk, his son, saw the injuries and blood at the scene "the first assumption was someone had done something to him," Johnson said. 
 
 Police proceeded not knowing the cause and had an obligation to rule out all the possibilities, Johnson said. He said he noted multiple times that it also was possible that Fisk had fallen. But there was a period of time where authorities didn't have answers, he said. 
 
 "And people being people, they run with the unknown for that couple of days, and it's Juneau, Alaska, it's an exotic location. It's a newly elected mayor. And so it was an intriguing story," he said. 
 
 But in reality, it was a tragic story for the family and for Juneau, Johnson said. 
 
 A police statement Monday night, after Fisk's body was found, said police were aware of rumors that an assault had occurred but called those rumors speculation. There was no sign of forced entry into Fisk's home. 
 
 Prior to the autopsy, police also said there was no apparent gunshot wound and nothing to suggest drugs were involved or that it was a suicide. 
 
 Fisk had scheduled appointments Monday and when he missed them, his adult son, Ian, went to his father's home. Fisk lived alone. 
 
 Fisk, a fisheries consultant, was sworn in as mayor in October after ousting the incumbent. Deputy Mayor Mary Becker was named acting mayor. 
 
 Ian Fisk previously stated in an email that his family is grieving privately. 
 
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 Dan Joling contributed to this report from Anchorage, Alaska. ||||| JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Police in Alaska's capital city have not determined whether the city's new mayor died from a natural event or foul play but have tentatively ruled out gunshots, drugs or suicide in the death. 
 
 In this photo taken Monday night, Nov. 30, 2015, Juneau Police Chief Bryce Johnson speaks to reporters about the death of Mayor Stephen "Greg" Fisk in Juneau, Alaska. Fisk, the newly elected mayor of... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo taken Oct. 23, 2015, Juneau Mayor Greg Fisk talks about his first week on the job during an interview in Juneau, Alaska. The newly elected mayor of Alaska's capital city was found dead in... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo taken Monday night, Nov. 30, 2015, Juneau Police Chief Bryce Johnson talks with detectives at the front door of Mayor Stephen "Greg" Fisk's home in Juneau, Alaska. Fisk, the newly elected... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo taken Monday night, Nov. 30, 2015, DJ Thomson, right, and Joyce Levine light candles on Kennedy Street after hearing about the death of Mayor Stephen "Greg" Fisk in Juneau, Alaska. Fisk,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Stephen "Greg" Fisk, 70, was found in his Juneau home with injuries that police did not describe. Police are awaiting autopsy results to announce a possible cause of death. 
 
 "It's not clear what the cause of those injuries are," police spokeswoman Erann Kalwara said Tuesday. 
 
 Fisk's adult son of found the mayor's body Monday and alerted police. 
 
 Fisk lived alone. There was no sign of forced entry into Fisk's home above Juneau's downtown, where a lone police vehicle sat outside the home Tuesday afternoon. Police tape kept the curious away, and a sign announced the sidewalk — which are really steps along the mountainside street — was closed. 
 
 Police are hoping the state medical examiner in Anchorage will complete the autopsy in a couple of days, she said. 
 
 Fisk had scheduled appointments Monday and when he missed them, his adult son, Ian, went to his father's home and spotted the body. 
 
 In their official statement, police acknowledged rumors of an assault but said those rumors were "speculation." 
 
 An attack was "one of the possibilities out there, but there's others that could have happened," Police Chief Bryce Johnson told the Juneau Empire newspaper. "There could've been a fall. There's lots of things that would cause it." 
 
 The department has fielded media inquiries from around the country, Kalwara said. Sometimes, it's obvious at the scene that a person died of natural causes. 
 
 "In this case, we just can't confirm that yet or rule anything out," she said Tuesday afternoon. 
 
 Citing Johnson, however, Kalwara said there was no apparent gunshot wound and "nothing at the scene to indicate there were drugs involved." 
 
 Likewise, "There's nothing on scene to indicate it was a suicide," she said. 
 
 Ian Fisk said in an email that his family is grieving privately. 
 
 "We sincerely appreciate the support of the community and we recognize that, as would be the case with any public figure, his death brings a lot of attention," Ian Fisk said. "At this time we have no reason to speculate as to the cause of his death and are awaiting the results of his autopsy. Meanwhile I will not be responding to any further media requests of any kind, and ask for your understanding." 
 
 Fisk, a fisheries consultant, handily defeated incumbent Merrill Sanford in the Oct. 6 election to become mayor. 
 
 Bob King, a veteran of Alaska politics who worked as press secretary to former Gov. Tony Knowles and as a fisheries aide to former U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, was Fisk's next-door neighbor, friend and campaign manager. 
 
 "He wanted to focus on strengthening Juneau's role as Alaska's capital city," King told The Associated Press on Tuesday. 
 
 Fisk wanted to encourage development of Juneau's waterfront and pledged to push the federal government to restore jobs that had been moved to Seattle from Juneau, King said. 
 
 Fisk also intended to work for more affordable housing in the city whose downtown is bounded on one side by the ocean and on the other by mountainsides. 
 
 "He had a lot of different thoughts and he really jumped into it," King said. 
 
 Fisk had served on boards and commissions but had never run for office. When he asked King to be his campaign chairman, King didn't give Fisk much of a chance but helped out in minor ways, he said. Fisk ran an active campaign, going door-to-door to speak to voters and hear their concerns. Fisk ended up taking nearly two-thirds of the vote. 
 
 "He earned every one of those votes that he got," King said. 
 
 Fisk was sworn in Oct. 20, said city clerk Laurie Sica. Deputy Mayor Mary Becker was named acting mayor. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Joling reported from Anchorage, Alaska.
– "The first assumption was someone had done something to him," but the reality is much less nefarious: Juneau Police Chief Bryce Johnson on Wednesday announced that the city's newly installed mayor died of natural causes, reports the Alaska Dispatch News. Though the AP notes Greg Fisk was found "bruised and bloodied," the injuries he sustained—which Johnson specified were on his face—resulted from a fall, not an attack, per preliminary autopsy results. The 70-year-old is believed to have hit a counter and "other objects" as he fell; Fisk was found dead Monday by his son after he was a no-show at morning appointments. Police believe Fisk died that same morning, and while the specific cause of death hasn't been given, Johnson did note that Fisk's health history included heart issues. Fisk had been in the job since October; Deputy Mayor Mary Becker has been named acting mayor.