Hudson Valley Woman Found Dead Following 4-Hour Standoff With Man

A Hudson Valley woman was found dead inside her home and her husband was taken into custody following a long standoff with police.

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Middletown police received a call early Tuesday evening about an unresponsive person inside a downstairs apartment on Cottage Street. Police were under the impression a couple in their 60s lived inside the apartment.

When police arrived a man inside the apartment refused to let them in, barricading himself inside, causing a four-hour standoff, police say.

During the four-hour standoff, police were able to evacuate neighbors and block off surrounding streets.

Around 10:30 p.m., a man was taken into custody and a medical examiner was requested to the scene for a deceased female.

Wednesday morning, police confirmed the body of the female was located on the floor of the apartment, which was occupied by her long term partner, and she appears to have been deceased for several days prior to the discovery of her body.

A cause of death has not yet been determined. There were no obvious signs of trauma or other physical abuse, police say. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.

While being taken into custody the man was found suffering from a mental health emergency and other medical problems, police say. He was subsequently transported to Orange Regional Medical Center.

Neighbors at the scene told Mark Lieb of Rockland Video they heard the couple arguing the past week and smelled a foul odor coming from the apartment on Tuesday. One neighbor told reporters at the scene he saw a woman likely dead on the floor and the woman's husband distraught in the apartment.

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As of this writing, no charges have been announced. We will update if more information is made available.

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