Police found a notarized note written by a Utah man, whose body was found in a freezer for around a decade, stating that his wife did not kill him.
According to Toole police, the note was allegedly written by Paul Edward Mathers around 10 years ago before he died at the age of 69. The "notarized letter" was found "from a male saying his wife, who was the deceased elderly female in the apartment, was not responsible for his death," a search warrant submitted to the court said, as per reports.
While the note was notarized on December 2, 2008, Tooele Police Sgt. Jeremy Hansen on Monday (December 16, 2019) said detectives had not yet verified through handwriting analysis whether the signature belonged to Mathers.
Investigators suspect a possible plan devised by the couple before he died or the woman possibly forging the letter. While the full content of the letter has not been released, further evidence including medical and financial records are awaited, reported the Associated Press.
The case received attention after police found 75-year-old Jeanne Sourone-Mathers dead during a welfare check in Utah Avenue on November 22. Officials were notified after she had not been seen for a week and was found deceased due to natural causes.
During a search of her property, police found "a large mass wrapped in black plastic" in a chest-style freezer which was later identified to be the body of Paul Mathers, likely to have been kept frozen for 10 years.
"The mass appeared to possibly be a human in the fetal position. Another officer came into the room and tore a small hole in the black plastic. Within the plastic, detectives saw what appeared to be the heel of a human foot. There was a piece of orange plastic covering part of the black plastic. Detectives moved the orange plastic to the side and saw what appeared to be a human backbone," the warrant stated.
Interviews and evidence collected by the Toole police revealed that Mathers likely died in 2009 between February 4, the last time he was seen at the VA Hospital and March 8. Sgt Hansen said Mathers was suffering from a terminal illness.
Police suspect pension fraud as the woman received $177,000 in Veteran Affairs benefits since her husband died a decade ago.
