New Rochelle police reveal new details in case of 47-year-old woman found dead in Iona University home
Police have revealed to News 12 for the first time that it appears Sackett was alone when she died and that they’ve confirmed her ex has been out-of-state since August.
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New Rochelle police are revealing new information in a death investigation that’s sparked widespread concern after a 47-year-old Westchester dental hygienist was found badly decomposed inside a home owned by Iona University.
The woman, Karen Sackett, was found dead inside her longtime residence on President Street in New Rochelle on Nov. 4. Her family says she lived in the home for seven years with her ex-boyfriend who worked for the Iona and that Karen was being evicted by the university.
Police have revealed to News 12 for the first time that it appears Sackett was alone when she died and that they’ve confirmed her ex has been out-of-state since August. They also say surveillance video at the residence appears to show nothing suspicious.
Authorities have said from the start that Sackett died of natural causes, but family expressed concerns to News 12 with several alleged details in the case, including how they say the home was scrubbed clean of any sign of Karen within days of her death, and people have come forward claiming she was allegedly living in a domestic violence relationship.
Loved ones asked police to take a closer look and say since going public about the case, police have assured them it’s under investigation.
“We’ve had some communication from the New Rochelle Police Department that they are investigating the case. Partly because there’s been a tremendous response from your viewing audience,” says Rick Diaz, Sackett’s brother-in-law. “We’re feeling a little more hopeful now.”
Diaz says Sackett died after showing extreme signs of digestive troubles, but the medical examiner said she was healthy.
“Whatever caused her distress, it started downstairs, possibly in the kitchen. She went through the house, up the stairs to the bathroom, to the bedroom. This is somebody who was moving through the house in different rooms conscious,” says Diaz.
Police are waiting on toxicology tests to determine how Sackett died.
A spokesperson for Iona University says Sackett was found by campus security who were following up on an eviction notice and that the conditions inside the home were “highly unsanitary,” requiring the university to hire an outside cleaning company. The spokesperson did not elaborate on Sackett family claims that her belongings were removed and kept from her next of kin.
Iona says the situation at the residence never presented a risk to the campus community.
