A Massachusetts Woman’s Death in a Maine Home was a Homicide

The death of a Massachusetts woman in a Maine rental house back in February has been ruled a homicide.

Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss says members of the Oxford County Sheriff's Office found the body of 41-year-old Jennifer Lingard of Dighton, Massachusetts in her family's Lovell home. They had been called to the residence on Thursday, February 24th, to do a welfare check on the woman who was vacationing in Maine with her two young children. Deputies also found the kids, who were not harmed in the incident.

The Major Crimes Unit of the Maine State Police was called to assist in the investigation and they learned that Lingard had been vacationing with 33-year-old Sami Daou of Newport, Rhode Island. The two were in a relationship at the time of her death. Family members and witnesses were interviewed as part of the investigation into the circumstances leading up to the day Jennifer died.

On Saturday, February 26th, Daou was found deceased inside his Rhode Island home. An autopsy by the Rhode Island Medical Examiner's Office determined that Daou died as a result of a drug overdose. An autopsy had also been done by Maine's Chief Medical Examiner on Lingard's body and, after receiving the results of toxicology tests, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Liam Funte ruled her death a homicide.

The Maine State Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.

We'll update this story as more details become available.