YOUNGSTOWN Body in burned Lincoln ID'd

Homicide detectives did not interview the husband, who has hired a lawyer.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Suzanne M. Dalton, found dead in the trunk of a torched Lincoln, had been shot in the head, her sister says.
Chris Przepiora held back tears as she described the method of death Wednesday, just minutes after learning that a coroner confirmed it was her sister in the trunk.
Przepiora said she last saw her sister in October, when their mother, a widow, remarried.
Przepiora lives in Overton, about 150 miles from her sister's home on Stacey Lane in Columbus. Dalton leaves behind her husband, Richard Dalton, a district manager at the Columbus Dispatch, and two children.
Mahoning County Coroner David M. Kennedy said dental records were used to identify Suzanne Dalton, 43. The body had been sent to the Cuyahoga County coroner's office for autopsy and the dental records were sent there for comparison.
The death has been ruled a homicide. The cause of death, whether from the gunshot or car fire, hasn't been determined because the autopsy isn't complete, Lt. Robin Lees, police department public information officer, said Wednesday.
What happened
The victim was found dead Sunday morning inside the trunk of a burned-out 1999 Lincoln Town Car. No identification was found with the charred remains.
The car had been set on fire behind 628 Oak St., the former Red Carpet Lounge, just before 8 a.m. Flames engulfed the car, valued at roughly $20,000.
The automobile is owned by Richard Dalton. He reported his wife missing Sunday and told police he last saw her Saturday, when she left to go shopping.
"I don't know what happened -- I'm thinking she was abducted," Przepiora said. "I think she was abducted, shot in the back of head and thrown in the trunk."
When reached at home Wednesday, Dalton would only say that he'd received confirmation that it was his wife's body found in the trunk. He referred questions to his Columbus lawyer, Byron L. Potts.
Potts said he advised Dalton not to speak to the press.
"I know how these things can turn around and cause problems -- [with] any type of investigation," Potts said. "I'm trying to eliminate any problems, so everything goes through me."
When asked if police consider Dalton a suspect, Potts said: "I have no idea if he's a suspect or not. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
Potts said he's being proactive instead of reactive.
Interview attempt
Youngstown Detective Sgts. John Kelty and Gerald Maietta, who are investigating the homicide, were in Columbus on Tuesday and Wednesday, intending to interview Dalton, family members and co-workers. The detectives are collaborating with Columbus police.
Potts said the homicide detectives wanted to meet with Dalton alone Wednesday. "I said, 'Not without me' and they said 'Well, we don't want to interview him then.' I don't know why, but that's where they are."
Potts said he will speak for Dalton from now on. The lawyer would not discuss if his client has a theory of what happened.
Lees said today that when one spouse is murdered, the other is obviously looked at as a potential suspect, so it's not unusual to hire a lawyer.
Lees said Kelty and Maietta established that Suzanne Dalton had been at Kohl's department store in Columbus on Saturday morning and dropped off a female friend at a Columbus bar at 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
Lees said the victim's credit card was used at Southern Park Mall in Boardman, but he would not say if a man or woman made purchases.
Jurisdiction of the homicide remains a question.
Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul J. Gains was away on business and not available to comment Wednesday.
Nicholas E. Modarelli, chief assistant prosecutor, said if the victim was shot in Columbus, it is that city's homicide and Franklin County would prosecute.
"It turns on where the evidence leads," Modarelli said.
He said Youngstown would prosecute the arson.
meade@vindy.com