ROCKLAND, Maine — There is no indication foul play was involved in the death of a Rockland woman found Thursday afternoon inside her room at a local boarding house, state police announced Friday afternoon.
An autopsy of 33-year-old Shawna Jones was conducted Friday by the Maine Medical Examiner’s Office in Augusta, according to Maine Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland. While the autopsy uncovered no evidence of foul play, additional tests need to be completed before a cause of death is determined, he said.
Police and emergency medical personnel were called to the Brunswick House on Main Street at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Rockland police called in the Maine State Police and detectives spent several hours at the scene.
Shawna Jones was found in the third-floor room she shared with her husband Sean Jones, according to state police.
She had been a cook at the Rockland Cafe, located on Main Street within walking distance of the boarding house. Rockland Cafe owner Wayne Steeves said Friday that her death was a big loss.
“She was a good person, a real hard worker,” Steeves said.
Jones had worked at the Main Street restaurant since July 2014.
She had two boys who are about 6 and 10 years old who live with their father, Steeves said. Her parents live in northern Maine. Her Facebook page said she attended Katahdin High School in the northern Penobscot County community of Stacyville.
Steeves said she was a reliable worker, always showing up on time. She last worked on Monday. On Tuesday, she called in sick, saying she was not feeling well. She did not show up for work on Thursday morning and Steeves first called her mother who said she had not been able to get in contact with Shawna.
Steeves then called the Brunswick House and asked if they could check on her. He called back 10 minutes later and was told that an ambulance had been called. He called a short while later and was told she had died.
Rockland police initially considered the death suspicious and called in the Maine State Police to investigate.