Police have several theories in suspicious deaths of elderly American Fork couple

AMERICAN FORK — An elderly American Fork man may have killed his wife in their home and then suffered a heart attack, according to police.

That’s one of the theories detectives have as they continue to investigate the deaths of Sally and Duane Francom, both 84.

American Fork police on Monday said it’s also possible the couple could have both died of natural causes. Detectives are hoping the final autopsy report, which could still be a month away from being completed, will provide them with answers.

When American Fork police served a search warrant on Jan. 16, the warrant said: “This case is being actively investigated as a homicide. There has been no evidence that both individuals died from natural causes, but there is evidence that the male could have died due to heart problems. There is evidence that the female could have been killed in a physical altercation due to the state of the room and the positioning of her body.”

On Dec. 20, American Fork police were asked to conduct a welfare check on the Francoms at their home, 179 N. Center Street. It was reported at that time that the couple had not been seen for approximately three weeks.

“There were no lights on at the home and no answer at the door. Officers knew the occupants to travel frequently and not answer their phones,” the warrant states.

Police returned to the home on Jan. 3 and found it was in the same condition as when officers were there on Dec. 20 and that the mail had not been collected and the garbage was not taken out, the warrant states. Officers also received information that a family member had concerns for the safety of Sally Francom because Duane Francom “was abusive,” according to the warrant.

Based on the totality of the circumstances, police decided to enter the locked home and kicked open a garage door.

“When the door was opened, the smell of decomposing bodies could be smelled by all the officers. Officers entered the residence and observed two deceased individuals,” the warrant states.

Both the bodies of Sally and Duane Francom, who were last seen in November, were in intermediate-to-advanced stages of decomposition, police said.

Sally Francom’s body was found in the kitchen-dining room area, which was in “disarray.”

“(The dining) table did not have anything on it, but on the floor around the table investigators observed several items that appeared that they had been thrown or knocked from the table, including a tablecloth, eyeglasses, glass dishes and papers. There was a dining table chair that was knocked over onto its side and a small trash can that was knocked over onto its side with trash strewn about the dining room area. Based on the investigator’s training and experience, it appeared as if a physical altercation had occurred in this room,” the warrant states.

The body of Duane Francom was found in the living room area. Autopsies were conducted on both bodies on Jan. 4.

“The doctor conducting the autopsies reported that both bodies were severely decomposed to the point that he could not tell a cause of death. The doctor did observe evidence of heart surgery in the male. Based on the state of the dining room and the position of the female’s body, investigators found it reasonable that the female could have been strangled to death. Investigators asked the doctor if there was any evidence of this, but the doctor said the body was too decomposed to see any signs of strangulation,” the warrant states.

“There have been multiple reports made to the American Fork Police Department from family of the deceased that the male was emotionally and physically abusive to the female. Investigators believe that it is reasonable that the deceased male could have strangled the female and then died of a heart attack due to the physical stress of strangling someone,” the warrant continues.