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October 30, 2003Woman died from trauma to the headHer husband is 'person of interest' in caseByRecord-Eagle staff writer BEULAH - An autopsy determined a Huntington Woods woman found dead in Herring Lake Saturday died of a blunt force trauma to the head, the Benzie County sheriff said Wednesday. Investigators next have to determine how Florence Unger's body moved from the apparent location of her death, a concrete walk about three or four feet from the water's edge, into the lake, sheriff Bob Blank said. He did not give further details on the cause of the trauma or nature of the wound. Blank has called Unger's husband, Mark Unger, "a person of interest" in the case. He said he hoped to submit a report to county prosecutor Anthony Cicchelli by today or Friday. Florence Unger, 37, filed for divorce against her husband, Mark Unger, in August, although the couple had been staying together at the Watervale Inn on Herring Lake with their children prior to her death. Blank said he wanted to rule out any other explanation before naming Mark Unger a suspect. Blank is waiting for results of state police crime lab tests on evidence. That evidence includes blood found at the scene that is believed to belong to Florence Unger and trace evidence obtained under search warrant from Mark Unger's clothing and from under his fingernails. Police also are trying to determine how Florence Unger's body entered the lake. "A defense attorney might come along and say, 'OK, it was a bear that dragged her,' " Blank said. "We have to rule out all the circumstances." Mark Unger is believed to have been the last person to have seen his wife before she disappeared Friday evening. Mark Unger told police he fell asleep watching a movie at his room at the resort and awoke to find his wife still missing. That morning, Florence Unger was found dead. On Tuesday, Benzie Probate Judge Nancy Kida removed the couple's children, ages 7 and 10, from Mark Unger's care. A petition seeking the two boys' removal, filed by Cicchelli, questioned Mark Unger's emotional stability. Court documents say Unger had been abusing prescription drugs and recently entered a drug rehabilitation program. "It would really be nothing new for a spouse to be a suspect in the death of another spouse," said Unger's attorney, Robert Harrison of Bloomfield Hills. "Detective class 101 says the first person to look at is the spouse, so that's not earthshaking." The Associated Press contributed to this report
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