Boris Berezovsky, the Russian oligarch who died last week at his U.K. home, was found with a noose around his neck.

A similar piece of material was tied to the shower rail above the 67-year-old in the bathroom where he was discovered, Detective Inspector Mark Bissell of Thames Valley Police said on the first day of a coroner's inquest in Windsor, England, today.

Berezovsky died March 23 from hanging with no evidence of a violent struggle, U.K. police said earlier this week following an initial autopsy. The results of additional tests, including toxicology and histology examinations, won't be known for several weeks.

Once a multibillionaire, Berezovsky faced mounting debt and last year lost one of the largest U.K. civil lawsuits ever filed against Roman Abramovich, the Russian owner of the Chelsea Football Club. Berezovsky, the judge said in her ruling in August, was "unimpressive and inherently unreliable."

Coroner Peter Bedford held a brief hearing today and adjourned the proceedings.

Inquests in England and Wales are held to examine sudden or unexplained deaths. Coroner's inquests can come to a limited number of verdicts including death by accident, suicide, or unlawful killing. If there is insufficient evidence for any of those, they record an "open verdict."