Crime

Death of Medford woman found in recycling bin deemed accidental

The Medical Examiner ruled that 61-year-old Barbara Novaes died of positional asphyxia, but her family is raising concerns over the finding.

Barbara Novaes' body was found in a recycling bin in May, and her death was recently ruled an accident.

February 14, 2023

1 minute to read

The death of a 61-year-old Medford woman who was found in a recycling bin at her home last year was recently ruled an accident by the state’s chief medical examiner, the Middlesex district attorney’s office confirmed to The Boston Globe.

Family members are questioning the determination, however.

The medical examiner determined Barbara Novaes’ cause of death was positional asphyxia. This means she stopped breathing due to her physical placement.

Novaes’ body was found in a recycling bin underneath a porch at her duplex on May 23. Her son had called the police to report her missing and her body was found later that morning.

Police ruled it a suspicious death and launched an investigation at the time due to the unusual location and circumstances, according to the Middlesex district attorney’s office.

Now that the cause has been determined, authorities consider Novaes’ death to have been accidental.

But Novaes’ family disagrees. They said in a statement that they believe her death warrants further investigation and they are not satisfied with the findings.

“Unfortunately, the time, place, and circumstances surrounding our Barbara’s death leave us with no closure,” they said.

Police have said they will reopen the case if new evidence arises.

Before her death, police had been called to Novaes residence multiple times, including for suicide threats, several outlets reported.