Cause and manner of death for Debra Fox: Undetermined

Ed Lewis, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·2 min read

May 2—WILKES-BARRE — An autopsy was unable to reveal how Debra J. Fox, whose body was found in a wooded area near Exit 1 of the North Cross Valley Expressway on March 26, died.

The 69-year-old woman is linked to the investigation that centers at 142 Carlisle St., Wilkes-Barre, where the decomposed body of Nicole Cuevas, 38, of Saginaw, Mich., was found buried in the dirt basement wrapped in a tarp and tied with electrical cords and rope, according to court records.

Fox formerly owned the Carlisle Street residence until the house was sold at a tax sale in September 2023.

Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce previously said Cuevas died in April 2023, about a month after arriving in the Wilkes-Barre area from Michigan.

Five people — Desiree Kehaun Linnette, 43, and her daughter, Sarai Kamalani Doyle, 24, both of Edwardsville, Jason P. Race, 43, Faith L. Beamer, 39, who both lived at the Carlisle Street house with Fox, and William Benjamin Wolfe, 54, address listed as homeless, were charged with criminal homicide and related offenses related to Cuevas' murder.

Sanguedolce said the investigation by city police detectives and county detectives revealed Cuevas was tortured inside the home.

Fox's body was found near the bottom of a steep embankment in a wooded area between the North Cross Valley Expressway and the Host Inn on Kidder Street.

In response to a Right-to-Know request filed by the Times Leader, the coroner's office through the county's Open Records Officer released Fox's autopsy results Wednesday.

The autopsy on Fox was unable to determine how she died as the cause and manner of death is listed as "undetermined."

Sanguedolce said Fox was last seen in mid-January 2024.

Court records say Fox filed a petition for a protection-from abuse order against Race on Aug. 14, 2023, claiming she was starved, assaulted, shot with pellet guns, pistol whipped, denied personal hygiene products, forced to use illicit drugs and had money stolen from her.

Sanguedolce previously said Fox's death is linked to the ongoing investigation of Cuevas and Carlisle Street.

Detectives appear to be aggressively investigating as multiple search warrants have been filed, including several search warrants the same day. Search warrants have been sealed by county President Judge Michael T. Vough.