PALM COAST — As Flagler County sheriff's deputies investigated the death of a woman found inside her home, they arrested her husband on a charge of obstruction of justice.
According to Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Brittany Kershaw, dispatchers received a call shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday from Michael Cummings, 46, who told them that his wife had stopped breathing. Deputies and firefighter paramedics responded to 6 Point Pleasant Drive where the woman, identified as 44-year-old Faith Cummings, was found dead.
Michael Cummings was asked "multiple times" to leave the house so that detectives could investigate, but he refused to leave, Kershaw said.
The Medical Examiner's Office was notified and arrived at the scene shortly after 11 a.m. Detectives also arrived along with fire police, who were called to direct traffic. The road in front of the home remained blocked off into the late morning.
Sheriff Rick Staly said earlier in the day that Cummings had given "his version of what occurred," but investigators were trying to determine how accurate it was.
It was not immediately clear Thursday whether Faith Cummings had a history of medical problems.
Staly said the death was not suspicious and that deputies were handling the case as a death investigation. Investigators were working to secure a warrant to enter the home with analysts from the Medical Examiner's Office and search for any evidence of foul play, he said. Pathologists are then expected to conduct an autopsy after detectives process the scene.
“In these kind of cases, we hope that it’s a natural, medical issue," Staly said. "But until we know that for sure, we’re going to handle the scene as if it’s a crime scene and our detectives are going to do everything they can. Because if it turns out to be a more serious crime, then we want to make sure that we have collected all the evidence to solve the case.”
Cummings was booked Thursday night at the Flagler County Detention Facility for his misdemeanor charge. His bail information was not available.