BERRIEN COUNTY, MI — A divorced couple in their 70s was reported to have been found dead inside the ex-wife’s home and her brother is in custody for failing to report the deaths in a timely manner.
St. Joseph Director of Public Safety Steve Neubecker said the former couple had likely been dead for over a month when police responded to the home, in the 1000 block of Michigan Avenue, at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5.
The deaths are being investigated as suspicious, but there were no obvious signs of trauma, Neubecker said.
Investigators are not ruling out natural causes, he said.
The brother of the deceased woman was also a resident of the home, and the woman’s ex-husband used to live there as well, Neubecker said.
The brother was lodged at the Berrien County Jail after calling to report the deaths weeks after they occurred. The police are waiting to release the names of the deceased until all next of kin has been notified.
Autopsies are being performed Monday at the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine. The case remains open and the investigation is ongoing.
Also on MLive:
Man sentenced to 27 years in prison for killing ‘defenseless’ Kalamazoo Army veteran, 64
Kalamazoo resident, 23, dies in Van Buren County crash
West Michigan schools respond to online threats in wake of Oxford High shootings