WEST HAVEN -- Autopsy results on 51-year-old Katherine "Kay" Doutre, of Hooper, revealed the woman, whose body was found early Sunday morning in a field, died from exposure.
Weber County Sheriff's Capt. Klint Anderson said after the medical examiner's report, officials no longer believe Doutre's death was suspicious. He said toxicology reports have not yet been completed but could alter the cause if Doutre had any chemicals or drugs in her system when she died.
Doutre had been missing for a month after she was last seen by her husband at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 30. William Doutre told police that she was distraught and had been known to disappear for a few hours at a time to compose herself. At that time she had been gone 24 hours but had not taken her wallet, keys, identification or any other possessions.
Doutre's body was found in a field at about 3100 West on 4000 South in West Haven. The body showed signs of weathering and decomposition that indicate she had died several days prior, Anderson said. That field had previously been searched by investigators after she had been reported missing.
Several searches were made to find Doutre, Anderson said, including the use of Weber County Search and Rescue volunteers, deputies, neighbors and friends, and search dogs. An aerial search was conducted with the help of the Utah Department of Public Safety as well.
"We put a lot of effort in trying to find her," Anderson said. "We had a lot of resources trying to find her. We followed up on a number of sightings. He really went to a lot of effort to try and find her. A lot of effort behind the scenes."
Anderson said it is a little more difficult to search for adults who may have gone missing on their own accord, because it is not illegal for adults to run away or leave their homes, unlike missing children cases.
There was a report of a body found in the same area where Doutre's body was almost a week-and-a-half earlier. The call was handled by Roy police.
"We did not find the body and we regret that," said Roy Police Chief Greg Whinham.
Whinham said the call was broadcast to Roy, and an officer responded. He said the caller told police she saw a body on the side of the road. The officer never found a body near the road in the area indicated by the caller.
"He, unfortunately, was close to where the body was discovered," Whinham said. "We're not making excuses for what we did. We regret deeply that we didn't find the body."
Anderson said they had received several calls of sightings of Doutre, but they could never find her.
In a letter to the Standard-Examiner, Roy resident Dale Bennion said he saw Doutre at the Newgate Mall on Nov. 10 and called 911. He said he talked to dispatchers twice, and said law enforcement didn't seem interested in responding to the call. He said he asked for the help of an off-duty police officer who was working security at Dillard's.
He said in his letter that he believes police were unresponsive to the sighting.
"The real story in my opinion, is that law enforcement ignore missing persons all the time," he said Monday.
Anderson said this was simply not the case, and that six detectives were sent to the mall when the sighting was reported that day. They also spent the day talking with transients and the homeless trying to find her, but were unable to find any leads that led to Doutre.
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