A Foreign Object Found In Her Body Suggested She Didn’t Take Her Own Life, And Then Her Boyfriend Was Charged With Her Murder
Mariah King, a 30-year-old mother of two from Sweet Home, Oregon, was found dead at her residence on July 18, 2024.
At the time, Mariah shared the house, located at 2241 Nandina Street, with her boyfriend, Jerod L. Norman. Her death was also initially ruled a suicide.
However, following months of investigation, a postmortem examination suggested something more sinister had transpired. Now, her boyfriend has been accused of her murder.
“The death initially appeared to be a suicide, but SHPD investigators arranged for a postmortem examination, and a foreign object was discovered inside the victim’s body,” the Sweet Home Police Department said in a press release.
Jerod was subsequently arrested by SHPD Detective Potter on January 13, 2025, at approximately 3:24 p.m. for the alleged murder of his girlfriend. The 40-year-old was charged with abuse of a corpse in the first degree and murder in the second degree.
Authorities reported that Mariah’s family had been informed of the arrest, and investigators are currently trying to get in touch with David L. Norman, Jerod’s 65-year-old father, to conduct a follow-up interview.
“David is encouraged to contact Detective Potter by phone or in person at the Sweet Home Police Department. No further details will be made public at this time,” the SHPD press release reads.
Jerod was arraigned on January 14 and is being held without bail in the Linn County Jail.
Mariah’s sister, Micaela King, has since launched a GoFundMe campaign, saying, “We are currently trying to raise money so that we can lay [Mariah] to rest in a way that will bring out the beautiful memories that we all shared with her friends and family included.”
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The fundraiser, which has a goal of $5,000, has garnered just over $3,000 in donations from more than 25 donors.
Micaela went on to describe Mariah as having “the biggest heart,” and she wants everyone to remember Mariah as the “rockstar” that she was.
The mother of two, whose children are just 8 and 5-years-old, also loved to sing karaoke. So, Micaela hopes her family and friends “can all laugh at our singing voices together” during Mariah’s memorial as they make a memory in Mariah’s honor.
“I want to thank you so much for everyone’s continued help with sharing and donations. This means the world to us, and this helps her family so much [as we] grieve her loss. Every single one of you has blessed us,” Micaela wrote.
“I ask that you keep sharing, praying, and donating so that I can organize her memorial and help her kids celebrate her life in a beautiful way. They are young; one is 5, and one is 8.”
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