Jude Walton: Homicide probe launched after ex-commissioner found dead 'with obvious signs of trauma' at her Michigan home
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN: A 51-year-old former police oversight commissioner was found dead at her home in Ann Arbor on Thursday, April 13. Jude Walton, 51, served as the commissioner of the Independent Community Oversight Commissioner in Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor police who have launched a homicide probe said they arrived at the slain woman's residence in the 200 block of Chapin Street at around 1.30 pm to conduct a welfare check. "Once officers arrived and entered the home, they discovered the body of a 51-year-old Ann Arbor woman," according to a police news release. The police also found a rear door that appeared damaged, indicating a possible break-in at her home, reported CBS News.
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Police found 'obvious signs of trauma on her body'
Aimee Metzer, Interim Police Chief said, "There were obvious signs that this was a homicide," and there are "obvious signs of trauma on her body." No arrests have been made in the case and a cause of death has not been revealed as an autopsy is set to be conducted on Friday. Police have asked the public to contact them if they have any information relating to the case.
'It's impossible to imagine Avalon without her'
The former commissioner worked as director of the employee experience at Avalon Housing. Following Walton's death, Avalon Housing released a statement on Facebook saying she was "incredibly thoughtful, kind, funny, talented, smart, self-effacing, and wise. It's impossible to imagine Avalon without her. We are grieving this unreal loss."
Since the Independent Community Oversight Commission's inception in 2018, she was part of it as a commissioner until 2022. In an online statement, the commission stated, "We are extremely saddened to hear of her death and we lift her family and friends up in prayer at this terrible time." Independent Community Oversight Commission is "an investment in the smart, equitable, community-oriented policing that the Ann Arbor Police Department strives for and that our community deserves," and "was established as a step in reframing the relationship that the residents of Ann Arbor have with the police," according to their website.