Report: New evidence rebuts claim Ventura was robbed after fatal crash

Photo evidence of the crash that killed Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura may dispel the notion that the 25-year-old was robbed of his belongings immediately following the accident.

According to Maria Torres of The Kansas City Star, a graphic but previously unseen photo of the site was tweeted Wednesday by Diario Libre sports journalist Bienvenido Rojas in which Ventura is shown to still be wearing a watch and a bracelet on each of his wrists.

Reports that Ventura had initially survived the incident but was left to die by thieves were initially published by Dominican news website Ensegundo, according to Torres. They quickly picked up steam after Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez lambasted his home country upon hearing of the reports.

The coroner who performed Ventura's autopsy rebuked the theory he survived the incident, however, and Rojas dismissed Martinez's assertions.

"Martinez's claims were completely false," Rojas told The Star Tuesday. "Yordano died on impact. No one touched his belongings."

No alcohol was found at the scene of the crash, and Ventura's family has called for a further investigation to determine the true cause of the incident. Rojas hopes an official inquiry by officials will quash any further unsubstantiated claims regarding the crash.

"Too many people here are quick to give false information credence without verifying it first," Rojas said. "It's a shame this crash occurred, but Ventura died on impact."

A funeral for the late pitcher was held Tuesday on the baseball field of his hometown in Las Terrenas. Members of the Royals traveled to the Dominican Republic to attend, including Salvador Perez, Eric Hosmer, and general manager Dayton Moore.