After her death was initially ruled a suicide in July 2024, investigators found something inside her body that has reopened the case again

An Oregon man is accused of murdering his girlfriend, whose death in July 2024 was initially thought to be a suicide.

On Tuesday, January 15, police in Sweet Home arrested Jerod L. Norman, 40, and charged him with murder and abuse of a corpse in connection to the death of his girlfriend, Mariah King, 30... Continue reading here ▶

The arrest followed a months-long investigation into King’s death on July 24, 2024, at the home where she lived with Norman in Sweet Home.

Initially, her death was ruled a suicide, but after further investigation, a postmortem examination revealed a foreign object inside her body, prompting police to reopen the case.

Police are also trying to contact Norman’s father, David L. Norman, 65, for a follow-up interview.

Norman is being held without bail at the Linn County Jail. He was arraigned on January 14 and is scheduled to appear in court on January 21. It is not clear whether he has a lawyer to represent him.

A GoFundMe page was set up to help King’s young children. Her sister, Micaela King, wrote, “Mariah, my beautiful sister, left us on 7/18. She had two children.”

She described King as having “the biggest heart” and being “so beautiful,” adding that the family was heartbroken by her death. “I want us all to remember her like the rockstar she was,” Micaela wrote.