An audit of Maryland autopsies has uncovered at least 36 in-custody police deaths that should have been considered homicides. State officials announced their findings Thursday following a comprehensive review of such cases spurred by widespread concerns about the former state medical examiner’s testimony in the death of George Floyd. Investigators focused on 87 autopsies performed during the tenure of Dr. David Fowler. Fowler testified for the defense at the 2021 murder trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin. Fowler had backed the widely rejected theory that attributed Floyd’s death to a sudden heart rhythm disturbance as a result of his heart disease.