New Jersey

Woman Found Dead Lying Face Down in the Snow Outside NJ Home

Police are investigating the death of a woman who was found lying face down in the snow.

The Lakewood Police Department received a 911 call Sunday morning reporting a woman found lying unconscious near a townhouse on the 500 block of Davids Court in Lakewood, New Jersey.

When they arrived they found Olivia Benito, 66, of Lakewood, face down on the ground next to a neighbor’s car. Medics arrived at the scene and Benito was pronounced dead at 7:26 a.m.

Lakewood Police contacted the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office major crimes and Ocean County Sheriff’s Department CSI to help with the investigation. The investigators determined Benito was last seen alive by her neighbor at midnight.

The neighbor told police she and Benito had gone to a benefit together on Saturday at the Lakewood Elks. They then left the benefit and stopped at the neighbor’s home for a short time. The neighbor claimed Benito drank several alcoholic beverages throughout the night, left the townhouse around midnight and walked to her townhome about two doors down.

The neighbor then went out to clean her car Sunday around 7:04 a.m. when she found Benito lying face down in the snow. The neighbor attempted aid, dialed 911 and contacted Benito’s husband who had assumed his wife was sleeping at the neighbor’s home, according to investigators.

Officials say there are no signs of trauma or foul play at this time. They are awaiting the results of an autopsy from the Medical Examiner’s Office to determine an exact cause of death.
 

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