A forensic expert is expressing concerns with a New Rochelle police investigation last year that found a 47-year-old woman’s death in Iona University housing was the result of natural causes and chronic alcoholism.

According to the police report, Sackett was found by the campus Director of Security and former New Rochelle Police Chief Adrian Navarette during an “eviction” twelve days after police said she was last seen on a rear door surveillance camera. Police claim the former model was alone with her two dogs when she died, based on their review of the surveillance video and confirmation that her ex-boyfriend was out of the state.

Dr. Peter Valentin is a former Connecticut State Police crime scene investigator and chairs the University of New Haven’s Forensic Science Department. He is a published author and is often called to testify on similar criminal cases. He has not worked on the case but has reviewed the documents that News 12 obtained in Freedom of Information Act requests. He says the probe appears to be “superficial.”

“Do I feel that enough information was acquired at the scene that day? I don’t. I would’ve wanted a lot more information,” says Valentin. “Unless the video captures all the ways to enter and exit the residence, it’s not a particularly probative piece of information.”

Sackett’s family has expressed concerns with the investigation since her death. In prior interviews with News 12, they claimed her residence was “scrubbed clean” of any sign of the woman with not even “a bar of soap” left remaining within days of her discovery.

Her family says her belongings have not yet been accounted for or returned. They also claim Sackett was not being evicted and provided paperwork to show she received a “Notice to Quit” from the university’s attorney days earlier directing her to vacate the premises by Oct. 30 or face legal action. They say Sackett confided in a friend that she was the victim of domestic violence and provided photos she allegedly sent appearing to show chunks of missing hair, bruises and swelling on her hands, fingers and wrist and an X-ray.

A woman who identified herself as Sackett’s co-worker contacted News 12 anonymously following our initial report on the case and said that Sackett told her she was afraid for her safety and said her ex-boyfriend had ties to police.

New Rochelle police say they had no knowledge of alleged domestic violence involving Sackett and were unaware of any claims she may have made to friends. Police reports obtained by News 12 show officers had been to the home nine times before her death since 2019 for a report of drug use, personal welfare checks, disputes and a report of a burglary.

A representative for Iona University says the police activity and unattended death were never a threat to student safety. They said the residence was sanitized by a professional company due to the unsanitary condition of the home caused by Sackett’s death and her dogs left unattended inside.

Valentin says the dogs’ survival, potentially without food or water for days, may indicate Sackett died days after the last time police said she was seen on camera.

“The state of the dogs as being playful is noted by the first responding officers either makes sense or it doesn’t,” says Valentin.

Valentin says a review of Sackett’s electronic devices and interviews would assist to determine the day she died and if there were any additional circumstances that may have surrounded her death. It’s not clear if that was done as part of the investigation.

News 12 reached out to the New Rochelle Police Department for more information and comment ahead of this report but has not received a response.

Sackett’s autopsy was finalized in February.

Valentin says the Westchester Medical Examiner’s report is also largely “unremarkable” – except for bruises and scratches found on her body and says it doesn’t appear to list any information that would determine a cause of death.

The report noted that Sackett had a .13 blood alcohol content at the time of her death and that she had hepatic steatosis, which is an increased buildup of fat in the liver. The cause of death is noted as chronic alcohol use and natural causes. It’s not clear what the natural causes are.

Her original death certificate stated the cause was pending investigation and further studies. New Rochelle police said in the police report that there were “no signs of foul play.”

“To me, that’s a conclusion. Not an observation. If I were to form that conclusion, I would first provide you with lots of observations about the scene so that that conclusion would almost be inevitable,” Valentin says. “It needed to be better investigated so that we could have more confidence in what the outcome is. I don’t feel like we have enough information.”

New Rochelle police previously said the Sackett case is now closed.