Cops investigating woman’s suspicious October death

LYNN – Stopping short of deeming the death suspicious, Lynn Police Captain Joseph Rowe said Wednesday authorities continue to investigate the mysterious final moments of a Hamilton Avenue woman’s life.On Oct. 1, 2007, someone called police reporting Nancy Gonzalez, 43, of 25 Hamilton Ave., had not been seen in six days. When officers went to her apartment, they found her dead.Rowe says certain factors, including the fact that no drug paraphernalia was found near Gonzalez’s body, indicates her death might not be from a drug overdose. But there’s no way to know for sure.Rowe classifies her passing as “an unattended death” and says police are awaiting toxicology results from the Medical Examiner’s Office before ruling an official cause. Several published reports indicated the ME’s Office has been backlogged over the past few years, giving a possible reason for the delay in determining a cause of death.The Lynn police department’s crime statistics initially reflected Gonzalez’s death as a homicide, but Rowe says that classification was an error because her official cause of death has not yet been determined.”By no means that should have been classified as a homicide,” he said.However, Rowe admits certain facts don’t add up, such as the lack of evidence about possible drug use and Gonzalez’s young age. Rowe said he was unable to share details about what else officers found when they responded to her apartment, or if detectives are leaning towards one theory on the cause of her death over another.Rowe says it took about one week to locate Gonzalez’s next of kin, who live in the Lawrence area.”Until the medical examiner can give us something, we’re going to continue working,” he said.