Meridian Police Department officials said they will wait until they receive a toxicology report before releasing any information on what may have caused the death Tuesday afternoon of Dennis R. Lewis.

Lewis, 51, of Meridian, was found dead on the west side of a drainage canal that is part of Gallagher’s Creek that winds through Meridian and funnels rain water into Sowashee Creek. Residents in the 45th Avenue, Hooper Street area discovered the body lying face down in a sandy area of the canal at about 2:30 p.m. Authorities were called to the scene and the body was sent to Jackson for an autopsy.

MPD Capt. James Sharpe, commander of the department’s Criminal Investigation Division, said he has received a preliminary report on Lewis’ cause of death but said detectives wanted to see the results of the toxicology report before revealing any other details of the incident.

“It can take up to six weeks to get a toxicology report back,” said Sharpe.

Toxicology is the branch of science that deals with the nature, effects and detection of poisons in the body. When there are no outward indications of a cause of death, law enforcement officials rely on this type of testing to try and determine what was going on inside the victims body at the time of death.

Officials said Lewis had been dead approximately 12 to 15 hours before his body was discovered.