A 70-year-old Marietta man's body is believed to have been in a Muskingum Drive home for more than a month before his death was reported Monday.
"We have found that the body had been in the house probably four to six weeks," said Marietta Police Capt. Jeff Waite.
The man, Murray Colyer, of 101 Muskingum Drive, had shared the home with his wife, Paula Colyer, 59, and a small dog.
Article Photos
A detective in a full body protective suit investigated the home of a 70-year-old Muskingum Drive resident whose death went unreported by his wife for many weeks.
JASMINE ROGERS
The
Marietta Times
"She had been living there," confirmed Waite.
Though he was not willing to speculate why the woman had not called in the death, Waite did say that she had been taken to Marietta Memorial Hospital for mental evaluations.
The department responded to the death after receiving a call from the man's daughter shortly after 8 a.m. Monday.
Fact Box
At a glance
The Marietta Police Department responded to a possible death Monday morning.
A 70-year-old male, Murray Colyer, was found dead at his 101 Muskingum Drive home.
Colyer is believed to have been dead for four to six weeks.
It is unclear why Colyer's wife, Paula, who also resided at that address, had not yet called in the death.
There were no visible indications of foul play.
Source: Marietta Police Department.
"She was very concerned. I believe she had just spoken to her mom, who had told her he was deceased," said Waite.
Paula Colyer had not been expecting the police, but permitted them access to the home.
Murray was found lying on the floor of the living room, police said.
There were no visible indications of foul play, but the body is being transported to the Montgomery County Coroner's Office for an autopsy, said Waite.
Detectives collected evidence and evaluated the scene for more than five hours. The body was transported for autopsy around 1:50 p.m.
Some detectives entered and exited the home in head-to-toe safety suits and breathing apparatuses while other officers entered in their regular uniforms.
According to Waite, Paula Colyer could face charges even if no foul play is found concerning the actual death. He declined to elaborate on what charges could arise, citing the ongoing investigation.
The Ohio Revised Code cites abuse of a corpse as treatment of a human corpse in a way that the person knows would outrage reasonable family sensibilities or reasonable community sensibilities.
