St. Joseph police investigating suspicious death of two elderly people

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. — Police are investigating the bodies of an elderly man and woman found dead inside their home, and a family member is now in jail in connection to their discovery. 

Officers were dispatched just before 7 p.m. Sunday to a home at the corner of Michigan and Morton Avenues in St. Joseph.

“Three people reside in that residence, an ex-husband and wife and then the female’s brother,” said Public Safety Director Steve Neubecker. “The brother called us because they were both deceased.”

According to Neubecker, although the brother did call police Sunday evening, the man and woman’s bodies had deteriorated enough to make it clear to police they died awhile ago.   

“He did not report the bodies - the death of the two individuals - we believe the death was at least a month old,” said Neubecker.

No names have been released, but Neubecker does say the man and woman were exes and both in their 70s.

While this is unnerving, he feels confident that there is no public danger. 

“It looks like whatever happened, they died of natural causes, there weren’t any signs of trauma on either of the bodies.”

Autopsies were done on both bodies Monday at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.