Farmington Hills

Police looking for answers after finding elderly woman dead in pond

By Jessica Strachan
C & G Staff Writer

The body of an 82-year-old Farmington Hills resident, identified as Marjorie Caruthers, was reportedly found in a pond Feb. 12 near the area of Nine Mile and Halsted roads.

Cmdr. Matt Koehn of the Farmington Hills Police Department said there are no indications of foul play, though an investigation is under way to figure out exactly what happened.

“One of the neighbors called us and said she saw what she thought to be a person in the pond behind her home,” Koehn explained. “We’re thinking it happened during the night, in the dark hours.”

The call came in at 7:55 a.m. Feb. 12, according to the press release issued from the department. Responding officers found the woman’s jacket, which had her identification, on the shore of the pond.

The report indicated that part of the pond was frozen, but a bubbler placed in the center of the pond kept the water in the center from freezing. That is where Caruthers’ body was found, about 20 feet from the shore, Koehn said.

It is still unclear when the woman actually died or if she had attempted to walk on the iced-over part of the pond. Koehn did say that the pond is on a different street than the woman’s home, so she likely walked a ways to get there.

Upon being found, she was transported to Botsford Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Koehn said they are awaiting autopsy results to help determine more about the woman’s death.

Anyone with information about Caruthers or this incident is asked to call the Farmington Hills Command Desk at (248) 871-2610.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jessica Strachan at jstrachan@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1108.