Tooele Police: Husband found in freezer left letter clearing wife of his death; she collected $177K in his continuing benefits

TOOELE, Utah, Dec. 16, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Tooele Police officials now have a few more details nearly a month after a man’s body was found in his wife’s freezer after her death.

Newly confirmed are the fact that the man, Paul Edward Mathers:

• Died between Feb. 4 and March 8 of 2009, based on the last time he was seen by a doctor and information collected from Mathers’ sister
• Left behind a notarized letter — dated Dec. 2, 2008, three months before his final doctor’s appoint — saying his wife was not responsible for his death
• Was being treated for a terminal illness, the nature of which has not yet been confirmed
• Was sent more than $177,000 ongoing benefits after his unreported death, with the money going to his wife

The new information is from investigations and a search warrant obtained by police, Sgt. Jeremy Hansen told Gephardt Daily.

“We did find a notarized note from Mr. Mathers saying his wife was not responsible for his death,” Hansen said. “We are waiting for the search warrant for medical information before we can say what illness he was being treated for.”

Mathers’ body was discovered after Tooele Police responded on Nov. 22 of this year to a request for a welfare check on 75-year-old Jeanne Sourone-Mathers, who had not been heard from for some time.

Sourone-Mathers was found deceased in the residence, at Remington Park Apartments, 495 W. Utah Ave., Tooele. Police have since said Sourone-Mathers, who used a wheelchair, probably died of natural causes.

The body of Mathers — who apparently died at about age 58 — was found during the investigation of his wife’s death. It had been frozen for nearly 11 years, new information confirms.

Tooele police have issued subpoenas to various government agencies involved with medical treatments and financial payments to Mathers, Hansen said. The subpoenas requested information back within three weeks, but Hansen noted that getting information back from large and complex agencies could take longer.

Hansen has said he could not speculate on how the body got into the freezer, and whether Sourone-Mathers could have put it there, with or without help.

“Ten years ago, she would have been 65, not 75, and may not have been confined to a wheelchair,” he said. “We still don’t know whether anybody else was involved. We are waiting for reports, specifically one from the crime lab.”

Hansen said that from the start, financial gain a was suspected as a possible reason Mathers’ body could have been stowed rather than his death reported.