An investigation is underway after two bodies were found in the home of a former mayor of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, authorities said.
Police officers found the “severely decomposed” remains of an elderly woman and an elderly man Monday afternoon inside the Woonsocket residence, local station WPRI reported.
Woonsocket Police Chief Thomas Oates confirmed to HuffPost that the home belongs to former Mayor Susan Menard. As of Tuesday afternoon, it was not clear whether she was one of the deceased.
“There is no foul play suspected,” Oates said. “[We’re] waiting for a positive identification, cause of death, from the medical examiner’s office.”
A concerned neighbor told WPRI that he called police to the home Monday after noticing a foul smell and realizing that he hadn’t seen anyone at the house in a couple of weeks.
Officers entered the home through a rear window and found the bodies in separate rooms, Oates told The Boston Globe.
Menard was Woonsocket’s first female mayor and its longest-serving mayor, holding office from 1995 until 2009, according to the city’s website.
Menard’s brother, Robert Miller, died on Saturday at the age of 81, according to an online obituary. His funeral was scheduled for this Thursday.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.