MEDFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - An investigation is underway after the body of a Medford mother was found in a recycling bin underneath her back porch, according to Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan.
Investigators set up a tent in the backyard of an Emery Street home Monday afternoon, hours after 61-year-old Barbara Novaes’ son called police around 6:40 a.m. to tell them the front door of his home was left ajar and his mother was nowhere to be found.
“He said he had last seen her yesterday afternoon at their home and he had believed at that time that she was going to leave the home to go to a nail appointment,” Ryan said at a press conference. “He reported that when he woke up this morning the front door of their home was standing open, and he had seen his mother’s car was still there, and he had also located his mother’s car keys, her phone and her purse.”
Novaes’ body was located under the porch behind the duplex where she lived by a Medford police officer around 8:30 a.m., officials said. Though there was no outward sign of trauma, Ryan said her death is considered suspicious at this time.
“Barbara Novaes was a beloved member of the Medford community and a very active parishioner at Grace Church,” Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said. “I didn’t know her personally but, I know many who [say] she touched their lives.”
Investigators are still at the scene working to determine the circumstances surrounding her death. An increased police presence will be in the area for the time being.
“People should obviously exercise the same caution that we would urge them to exercise all the time — keeping your doors locked, being cautious of who’s around the house,” Ryan said.
Anyone with information is urged to reach out to the police at 781-395-1212.
No other information was immediately available.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
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