This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Investigators still are awaiting an official cause of death, but Vernal police confirmed Thursday that it appears a man found dead in his home in the eastern Utah town was strangled.
Assistant Vernal Police Chief Keith Campbell declined to explain how that determination had been made, indicating it was due to unspecified evidence.
An autopsy and forensic tests by the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office will determine the official cause of death. Campbell declined to speculate when those results would be available.
"We're not the only case in the state, and you can't rush the science," he said.
Police found the body of the 52-year-old Christopher Alan Miller when they responded to a 911 burglary call at Vernal's Pheasant Glen Apartments on July 6. Miller's body was on the floor of his living room.
Investigators consider a male roommate as a "person of interest," but Campbell would not release the man's name, noting he had not been arrested.
Asked if an arrest was anticipated, Campbell would only say police were "waiting on forensics on the case. For now, that is all pending those results."
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