Woman's death at Sanford inn raises questions, concerns and suspicions

SANFORD, Maine — Police, family members and friends are waiting for answers following the death of a local woman reported at the Oakwood Inn Town Motel two weeks ago.

The Sanford Police Department was notified about an “unresponsive female” in one of the rooms at the inn on the afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 27, according to Detective Matthew Gagne. When they arrived at the scene, officers and detectives found Elizabeth "Liz" Lafortune, 35, of Sanford, on a bed, deceased.

On Tuesday, Gagne said Lafortune’s body showed “no signs of trauma.” He added that local police are investigating the death.

“In terms of cause of death, we don’t know,” Gagne said. “There are answers we don’t have.”

On Wednesday, the Maine Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported it is conducting a toxicology test on Lafortune and is expecting results in 6 to 8 weeks.

An autopsy is not being performed, according to Lindsey Chasteen, the office administrator for the medical examiner.

“The office conducted an external examination and, through its findings, it was determined a forensic autopsy was not needed,” Chasteen said in an email.

Gagne said the case is not classified as a homicide, “as of right now.”

“It’s not being investigated by the state police — hence, not a homicide,” he added.

Gagne said authorities have met with Lafortune’s family members.

“We’ll keep in constant communication until we have concrete answers that we can give to them,” he said.

When asked, Gagne said it would be difficult to answer how long Lafortune had been deceased when police arrived at the room where she was reported unresponsive. He did, however, offer a general response.

“It wasn’t recent,” he said. “It wasn’t within the hour.”

Given the investigation, Gagne declined to say whether the room at the inn had been registered in Lafortune’s name or in someone else’s.

Gagne also said the department is following the procedures it always follows when investigating an unattended death, which he described as one not taking place at a hospital.

“This case is still an open investigation,” Gagne said. “We’re investigating and pursuing all leads and evidence.”

‘She was my best friend’

Liz Lafortune once raised money to help pay for an urn for a friend whose husband had died. That’s the type of person she was, Lafortune’s sister, Michelle Medevielle, said during a phone interview on Wednesday morning.

“That’s just one of the many things she has done for people,” Medevielle said. “She was literally my best friend.”

1964 cold case: Parents never reported Maine boy missing. Detective wants to know why.

Lafortune was born in Hollywood, Florida, in 1987, and raised in Maine in the towns of Old Orchard Beach and Saco. She has two sons — one a teenager, the other age 10 — and spent most of her professional life as a manager at assorted businesses, including a Cumberland Farms in Gorham, according to Medevielle.

Lafortune was a recovering alcoholic who last year completed rehabilitation at a center in Augusta, Medevielle said. She moved to Sanford to live in a recovery home.

“She was very happy with how far she had come,” Medevielle said. “She was looking forward to re-establishing her life.”

Medevielle and her mother, Debbie Doe, of Biddeford, said Lafortune did not use drugs.

“She was so proud of her sobriety,” Medevielle said.

Unsolved mystery: Group close to identifying bones of girl found at Sanford, Maine site: What we know now

Family calls death 'suspicious'

Medevielle said she believes there is more to her sister’s death than is currently being made known.

“I think it’s 100% suspicious,” she said. “This is a suspicious death.”

Medevielle said she had last spoken with Lafortune on Sept. 2, when she wished her a happy birthday. Medevielle said she learned on Sept. 17 that it had been a while since anybody had heard from her sister.

Medevielle said she tried to reach Lafortune on her cell phone, only to learn the number had been discontinued. She said she texted her sister on Facebook Messenger and noticed that Lafortune had not opened it to read it.

Medevielle said she received a text from someone on Sept. 27, alerting her that Lafortune was at the Oakwood Inn in Sanford. She drove to Sanford from Biddeford and reported to the police department, where she had hoped to request a welfare check on her sister.

That’s when she heard the sirens, Medevielle said. Dispatchers had just received the call about an unresponsive female at the inn.

Medevielle said she left the police station and ran to the Oakwood Inn, which is located right around the corner. She said she arrived just as an EMT was opening the motel room door and going inside to check Lafortune’s pulse.

As Gagne stated, the case is not being investigated as a homicide, and no one has been announced as a suspect, arrested, or charged. Both Medevielle and Doe, however, spoke of an individual whom they suspect is involved in the situation.

“I think the PD needs to take this more seriously than they are,” Medevielle said, referring to the Sanford Police Department.

On Wednesday, Gagne said the police department needs to remain “open and unbiased” in its investigation. He repeated his earlier comment that the preliminary investigation showed that Lafortune “didn’t have physical injuries” when found in the motel room.

“There are individuals that are a part of this investigation that we’d like to make contact with,” he said. “Some of them, we have. We follow all leads and information given to us. It’s not until we have a full picture that an investigation is closed.”

On Friday, Medevielle, Doe and others gathered at the Main Street entrance of the Sanford Police Department in an effort to raise awareness about LaFortune. Some held signs and called out to motorists passing by.

“We’re not going to back down,” Medevielle said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Woman's death at Sanford inn raises questions, concerns and suspicions