State medical examiner rules American Fork elderly couple deaths as ‘undetermined,’ police close case
Apr 17, 2024, 2:59 PM | Updated: Apr 18, 2024, 4:39 pm
AMERICAN FORK — The American Fork Police Department is closing the case of an 84-year-old couple who were found dead in their home as medical examiners are unable to determine a cause of death.
On Wednesday, the police department said the Utah State Medical Examiner ruled the deaths of Duane and Sally Francom as “Undetermined” due to the degree of body decomposition.
“No trauma was found on either body, and no significant amount of carbon monoxide was detected, ruling out carbon monoxide poisoning,” the police press release stated.
Police said the couple had heart disease, and the toxicology report showed nothing suspicious in their blood. Because of the medical examiner’s findings, police have closed the case.
On Jan. 3, American Fork police officers responded to the couple’s home near 200 N. Main Street after neighbors requested a welfare check. Neighbors told police they had not seen the couple since late November.
Officers found the bodies of Duane and Sally Francom, who were reported to be in the stages of intermediate-to-advanced stages of decomposition.
During the investigation, American Fork police released several theories of how the two were killed, ranging from natural causes to homicide.
