The body of a woman was found Tuesday morning in the basement of her fire-ravaged home less than 12 hours after her 22-year-old son took his own life by jumping off the Q Bridge in New Haven.
Westerly Police Chief Shawn Lacey said the body of Patricia A. Martell, 59, who worked as a nurse at Westerly Hospital, was badly burned from the fire, which heavily damaged the two-story, yellow colonial at 54 Tum-A-Lum Circle on Monday afternoon, but the medical examiner’s office has not yet determined her cause of death. An autopsy is planned for Wednesday morning.
According to Lacey, officers had responded to the house several times over the years for assessments and well-being checks related to Scott Martell, Patricia’s son, who had struggled with mental health issues.
Patricia Martell’s body was recovered from the home’s finished basement. The body of a small dog was discovered on the second floor.