Montgomery County officials have ruled the cause of death for the Pennsburg pediatrician accused of possessing sexually explicit images of children as undetermined.

          Following an autopsy and several rounds of toxicology tests, the Montgomery County coroner's office could not determine the specific reason for the death of Dr. David Shawn Kennedy at the age of 48, according to Alexander Balacki, First Deputy Coroner of Montgomery County.

          Officials concluded their investigation and issued a death certificate May 3, according to the deputy. Kennedy died in Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Eagleville on Dec. 18.

          "There were no obvious or reasonable means to call his cause of death anything but undetermined," Balacki said Monday afternoon, adding that this result occurs in a small percentage of coroner cases.

          The coroner ruled out physical injuries as the cause of death, according to Balacki. He also said the office discovered nothing of toxicological significance following several rounds of Kennedy's blood.

          "Sometimes things happen after death that you can see or determine," Balacki said.

          Kennedy, the former owner of the Personal Care Pediatric medical practice at 925 Main St. in Pennsburg, died 20 days after being arrested after photos of children, who appeared to be younger than age 18, naked and in sexually suggestive poses, were allegedly discovered on his cell phone. He was charged with five counts of child pornography and one count of criminal use of a communication facility, according to the police criminal complaint filed in the Red Hill court of District Judge Catherine Hummel Fried.

          As a result of his death, the same court dismissed the case against Kennedy on Dec. 29, according to information posted on a state judicial website.