The Scientology Money Project says that Hubbard died by himself in a Bluebird brand motorhome parked at his ranch in Creston, California. His post-mortem says that the report was conducted at Reis Chapel at the Reis Family Mortuary in San Luis Obispo, California. A day later, per New Times, the mortuary called up the local sheriff’s department and said that they needed a body taken away and cremated ASAP. Officers Charles Gassett and Gary Bang met Hubbard’s attorney, Earle Cooley, and physician, Eugene Denk, at Hubbard’s ranch. The sheriff’s department pushed back a bit and wanted an autopsy done in order to avoid any kerfuffles with Hubbard’s followers, family, mass media, etc. These efforts failed, and no autopsy was performed. So, we’ve only got a non-invasive post-mortem examination and a toxicology report to go by.
But, Hubbard’s death certificate does list a cause of death, if not a manner of death. The cause of death was a “cerebral vascular accident,” i.e., a stroke. The manner of death — e.g., homicide, natural, accidental, suicide, or undetermined — isn’t listed. This, plus the swift cremation, has lead many to believe that Hubbard died from foul play or suicide, as New Times says. A few days before he died, in fact, Hubbard strangely signed a new will stating that no autopsy should be conducted on his body. But, as the supplementary investigation attached to the coroner’s report writes, Hubbard said this was because an autopsy, “would violate my religious convictions.”
