Certainly one of two our bodies present in a extreme state of decomposition within the residence of former Rhode Island mayor Susan Menard earlier this week has been confirmed to be her, state well being officers confirmed.
Menard was Woonsocket’s longest serving mayor in workplace from 1995 to 2009, in line with the town’s web site.
Police have been flagged to the our bodies, described as a female and male, Monday afternoon after a neighbor reported he hadn’t seen the pair who lived within the residence on Marian Lane in Woonsocket in a couple of week and a robust odor was coming from the house, Woonsocket Police Chief Thomas Oates informed NBC Information Tuesday.
The Workplace of the State Medical Examiners on the Rhode Island Division of Well being recognized one of many two our bodies as Menard, noting “the identification of the second decedent has not but been finalized.”
The causes of demise for each are nonetheless pending, the division’s spokesperson stated Wednesday.
Oates stated that officers who responded to the house Monday and compelled entry discovered “no outward indicators of any foul play or any sort of battle.”
He stated that the division was conscious that each of the people they believed to be the deceased had “fairly important” medical points.
Woonsocket, residence to 43,000 individuals, is situated about 20 miles northwest of Windfall.
Information of Menard’s demise comes shortly after the demise of her brother Robert Miller, who labored as a toxicologist for the Rhode Island Division of Well being for 30 years. He handed away Saturday on the age of 81, in line with an obituary printed in The Windfall Journal, which lists her as a survivor of his demise.
Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt informed NBC Information Wednesday, “On behalf of the residents of the town and workers of the town of Woonsocket, we lengthen our deepest condolences to her household and buddies.”
Baldelli-Hunt stated Menard was not solely the longest serving mayor within the metropolis’s historical past, she was additionally solely the second elected feminine mayor within the historical past of Rhode Island.
She stated Menard was a trusted public servant who additionally served on the town’s faculty committee and metropolis council earlier than turning into mayor.
Menard will probably be remembered for her “robust persona” and “need to guide,” Baldelli-Hunt stated.
