No Evidence Of Foul Play On Body Found Under Novato Home
NOVATO (CBS/AP) - Authorities said a man whose body was found buried in the backyard of a Marin County home was not poisoned and showed no signs of violent injury.
Investigators have not been able to determine what caused 74-year-old Dale Smith's death and are not ruling out homicide.
Smith's body was found on Feb. 23 under a barbecue pit that had recently been built by his wife, Evelyn, behind their Novato home. Authorities searched the backyard after a neighbor alerted them that Dale Smith was missing.
Evelyn Smith's lawyer has said he died naturally and she disposed of the body.
The coroner's office said Smith's body was too badly decomposed to determine the cause of death.
Novato police Capt. James Berg tells the Marin Independent Journal investigators have not ruled out homicide or natural causes in Smith's death.
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