MIDVALE — Unified police detectives are hoping autopsy results will shed more light about the weekend deaths of an elderly Midvale couple who were found in their home, which had no power.

Howard Durrant, 79, and Sharell Sund, 87, were discovered dead Friday in a bedroom of their home, 985 E. 7240 South. Concerned family members had called police after being unable to contact the couple. Police entered the home and discovered their bodies.

The couple are believed to have died from natural causes related to the cold, according to investigators. The home did not have any power. Detectives were waiting Monday for a preliminary autopsy report from the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office.

Details about how long the power had been out and how long the couple had been dead were not being released Monday.

Durrant's brother, Rendell Durrant, of Tooele, said his brother served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and worked for more than two decades at the Tooele Army Depot. Sund was a schoolteacher from Arizona who moved to Utah after retiring.

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Elderly couple found dead in home from apparent exposure

An elderly couple was found dead in their home Friday night from apparent exposure.

"They met at a church dance," Rendell Durrant said.

Durrant said he was not aware that the couple did not have power in their home. But he knew both had their share of health problems in recent years.

"Sharell was needing help. My brother, he needed help, too. He was getting close to wheelchair bound. Sharell had a broken hip in the past few years, so she was having a hard time getting around. You know, they were both getting more frail. I know Howard didn't leave the house much, he had a hard time walking."

Funeral arrangements were still being made Monday.

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