Upon arriving at the scene of a Dupo woman’s death, police and the coroner’s office said they did not find any evidence of foul play and declined to further investigate the matter.

However, her family has many unanswered questions. 

Domestic violence, and the changing stories of the man who called 911 further complicate the story, the family of Lori Meyer said. 

As such, the family contacted a third-party to conduct an autopsy, the final results of which may come later this week. 

All official reports mentioned in this article were obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests.

In the early hours of Jan. 20, Dupo police were dispatched to Meyer’s home on Minnie Avenue, with the caller advising she was not conscious or breathing. According to police reports, patrolman John “Jay” Sawyer and Sgt. Jason Cooper attempted to revive the 51-year-old woman as Dupo EMS was en route. 

After additional lifesaving efforts by Dupo EMS, St. Clair County Deputy Coroner Tom Boyd pronounced Meyer dead at 2:54 a.m.

Sawyer’s report stated Meyer’s roommate had informed officers that Meyer experienced “a stabbing sensation” in her chest the previous day but said she did not want to seek medical attention. The roommate told Sawyer that early on Jan. 20, Meyer was with a man – whom records and police confirmed had previously been arrested and charged with domestic battery and violating orders of protection against Meyer. 

This man told Meyer’s roommate “something was wrong with Lori.” 

The police report continued to state this roommate entered the bedroom where he said the man was checking Meyer for a pulse as she was lying in bed. When the roommate called 911, the man left Meyer’s home.

Lori’s son Dustin Meyer, 29, of Waterloo, said when he arrived at his mother’s home in the early hours of Jan. 20, the roommate – who Dustin said he had not met or heard of before that morning – told him a different story. 

“The night I arrived, (the police) were trying to convince me there was no foul play, and I was pretty adamant (there was) because the moment I arrived on the scene, (the roommate) was standing out there and started telling me and the coroner all this off-the-wall stuff,” Dustin said. 

Boyd said in his report that the roommate had raised concern over the man’s interactions with Lori – namely what he was doing when the man said he was checking Lori’s pulse. The roommate cited past domestic disputes in explaining his fears, the report said. 

“After speaking with the roommate, I checked the scene for any sign of a struggle and could not find one,” Boyd wrote. “I also looked at Meyer’s body around her throat and did not observe any injuries or marks. I told Officer Sawyer about the conversation that I had with the roomate and Sawyer told me that the roomate had not mentioned any of this to him during the 45 minutes while they were waiting for me to respond to the scene (and) that this was the first (time) he had heard of this. Officer Sawyer told me that he did not see any signs of foul play at the scene either.” 

Sawyer has previously worked for the Waterloo and Cahokia police departments.

Boyd’s report concluded that “due to Lori Meyer’s extensive medical history and complaint of chest pains just prior to her passing, no toxicology samples were attempted or obtained.” 

Due to Lori’s history of congestive heart failure, among other medical issues, Boyd listed “congestive heart failure” and “myocardial infarction” (heart attack) under the “suspected medical conditions” section of his report. 

Dustin said this fact – that Lori had a complicated medical history – made her extremely cautious when it came to her health. He said if she had chest pains, she would have sought help.

Dustin said he had later heard the roommate had been telling others a different story of how his mother had died and had told a mutual acquaintance he had items of Lori’s. Because of this, Dustin said his understanding of his mother’s death is fluid and has “changed a lot” over the past few weeks.

Former Waterloo resident Dovie Larson – Lori’s mother – and Dustin said the man’s history with Lori – and being told he was with her the morning she died – concerned them. 

Dupo Police Department reports showed the agency had responded to roughly 10 calls of domestic disturbances at Lori’s residence since October 2020, some regarding this man violating orders of protection.

Dupo Police Chief Dennis Plew said often, these encounters were “by mutual consent.” 

The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department confirmed this man had spent approximately 130 days in jail on charges relating to these instances. He was released mid-December. 

“The minute I heard he was out and she was dead, I knew it – I knew he had killed her somehow,” Larson told the Republic-Times. 

Dustin said he found it suspicious that the man had left before police could arrive on scene and questioned why the police said they did not attempt to contact the man. Boyd’s report gives a possible explanation for the former. 

“Sawyer told me that (the man) left the residence prior to their arrival and advised that there was an order of protection in place from Meyer on (the man) and that Sawyer thought that (the man) left prior to their arrival due to fears of being arrested by the police who had been enforcing the order of protection.” 

On Jan. 27, Dupo police responded to a call from Dustin stating he believes there are items missing from Lori’s home and that the roommate may have taken them, considering an acquaintance of theirs had heard this. Dustin had also said he believes there may be people trying to gain access to Lori’s home even though he had changed the locks. 

The report, written by Dupo patrolman Jesse Fulkerson, also said a known associate of Lori’s was recently arrested and this person had been living at her home along with the roommate. The names in this report were redacted, but the report had mentioned one redacted name using heroin and fentanyl to dull chronic pain. 

Dustin told the Republic-Times he had never seen or heard of Lori using illegal substances. He also said that he had seen his mother multiple times in the month leading up to her death and had visited her home during this time. Dustin said he did not notice any signs of anybody else living with her, further heightening his suspicions. 

“It’s so bizarre, and that’s why we think something is not right,” Larson said. “Every one of us who talks to anybody about all of this (gets the same response) – it’s not right.” 

Plew said he understands many of the family’s concerns, but reiterated “based on what (Dupo police officers) saw at the scene, there was nothing to tell us there was foul play.” 

Plew said it is the coroner’s decision – not the police department’s – on whether or not to conduct an autopsy. When the Republic-Times reached out to St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. to ask what prompted the decision not to provide an autopsy, Dye declined to comment. 

So, the family anxiously awaits the results of the third-party autopsy.

“I really hope it answers any questions anybody might have,” Plew said.

Dustin said he remembers his mother as a fun-loving woman. 

“She had a really big personality and her laugh always filled the room. Everyone knew who she was. She had a really strong energy,” he said.