Politics & Government

Identity of Exhumed Body Won't Come Anytime Soon, District Attorney Says

Human remains found buried in Novato backyard on Feb. 23 were to undergo autopsy Tuesday, but results could take weeks, DA says.

An autopsy on the discovered Feb. 23 in a Novato backyard was to take place Tuesday, but the body’s identity or a cause of death is not expected to be released right away, said Marin County District Attorney Ed Berberian.

“I would be surprised if anybody said anything in the near future,” he said. “This is not something I would expect to be resolved that quickly.”

Lt. John McCarthy said detectives are continuing to interview friends and family members of Dale Smith, who was reported missing Feb. 9 following an interview with his wife, Evelyn Smith.

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on Rebecca Way, a cul-de-sac on Novato’s east side, said they had not seen their 74-year-old neighbor, a retired carpenter and contractor, since September. Police said Evelyn Smith told investigators that her husband was away visiting his brother, but the brother told police that was not the case.

Evelyn Smith, a 55-year-old former postal worker, is considered by police as a “person of interest” in the case but remains free.

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“At this point we’re not in position to have charges filed,” Berberian said. “The matter is under investigation and review. She has not been arrested; she is a person of interest and that’s where it stands at the moment.”

McCarthy said the home at 4 Rebecca Way, off Olive Avenue, has been turned back over to the Smith family through Evelyn Smith’s attorneys. A search warrant had been obtained last week so that the home could be searched and the body could be exhumed.

The remains were found about four feet under a recently installed brick patio behind the home, police said last week. A larger hole was dug around the body so that personnel from the FBI Evidence Recovery Team and Marin County Urban Search and Rescue Team could climb in and hoist the body out of the hole with mechanical help. Investigators would not comment on the condition of the body except to say it was heavier than normal because of wet weather.

Following the autopsy Tuesday, the body will undergo toxicology tests and other analysis that might takes weeks, Berberian said.


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