NORWICH — A woman who has found dead in Norwich in May died due to “asphyxia by exclusion of oxygen,” according to the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office.
First responders found Noel A. Neely, 82, in her Douglas Road home the morning of Saturday, May 9, according to Vermont State Police.
“The manner of death is listed as ‘could not be determined’,” Vermont State Police wrote in a Monday news release. “The state police investigation into the circumstances leading up to and following the death remains active and ongoing.”
When Neely’s death was first reported in May, police said that “initial investigation indicates the woman’s death occurred under potentially suspicious circumstances.” Police also indicated that there was no threat to the public and that autopsy results would be forthcoming.
Neely served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1977 to 1982, where she represented Pomfret as a Republican. The House held a moment of silence for Neely following her death.
She shared the home with her husband, Donald, a longtime Upper Valley orthodontist, according to Norwich property records.