Cause of Death 'Undetermined' in Tale of Novato Backyard Exhumation

The body of , the Novato man in February after he was not seen for months, was so decomposed that the autopsy was unable to pinpoint a cause of death, said Tuesday.

Captain Jim Berg said the autopsy and toxicology reports were completed last week through the coroner’s unit of the Marin County Sheriff’s Department and the information was released to the police Tuesday. The official cause of death: “undetermined.”

“There were no obvious signs of trauma,” he said. “A very comprehensive toxicology study with various samples revealed that there was no evidence of toxic levels of chemicals or substances.”

He said the autopsy does not rule out homicide and does not rule out a death by natural causes.

“As we move forward with our investigation, we hope to determine other information that will help determine a cause,” Berg said. “We will consult with the district attorney’s office to develop a game plan of what strategies we want to use and what we’ll pay particular attention to as we move forward.”

A body was exhumed Feb. 25 from under a brick patio at 4 Rebecca Way, where Smith lived with his wife, Evelyn, but it wasn’t until March that that the dead man was identified as Dale Aaron Smith. The body was found about four feet below the backyard surface following a search by cadaver dogs.

Smith, 74, had been the subject of a missing persons case after he had not been seen by neighbors on his cul-de-sac for several months. told police on Feb. 9 that her husband was out of town visiting his brother, but investigators checked with the brother and found that wasn’t true.

Berg said Evelyn Smith, 55, remains free and that investigators are in contact with her attorneys.

Berg said the toxicology report took longer than a typical cause and “definitely more extensive because of all the unknowns.” He said he does not know the location of the body now. “I don’t know if they have released it to next of kin or had a service.”