Police: Woman died of natural causes

On Christmas Eve a woman's body was found in a Berrien County backyard. After an autopsy conducted Friday, December 26 in Grand Rapids, it was determined that Christine Franklin, 62, died of natural causes. The Berrien County Sheriff's Office released that new information Friday afternoon.

According to a detective, preliminary results confirmed there were no signs of trauma to her body and she had not been assaulted. The complete autopsy report may take several weeks to be released.

Franklin's body was found on Snow Road in Lake Township. On Tuesday family members told police that she and her 65-year-old husband had gotten into an argument around 5:30 p.m. and the husband left. Around 10:30 a.m. neighbors found her body a few houses away from the home the couple shared.

The investigation will be sent to the Berrien County Prosecutor's Office for review when it's completed.