Cause of Death Yet To Be Determined, Authorities Focus on Husband
The funeral for Maureen Hidalgo was yesterday, the public defender whose body was found at the side of the road near Rio Grande, on the route to Atenas, however, the Fiscalía (prosecutor's office) is continuing its investigation, focusing on the husband.

The Medicatura Forense has yet to determine the cause of death. They are, however, discartig the original conclusion that the woman had been shot.

The partial decomposition of the body and the mutilation by vultures and other wildlife has made the determination of cause of death difficult. Authorities now believe that strangulation and/or poisining may have been the case.

Another fact that authorities are keeping close is the motive.

Luis Fernando Burgos, the husband, also a public defender with the Poder Judicial, is the main suspect in the murder. The Fiscalía has been scrutinizing the husband's movements during the past week, thoroughly searching the couple's home and automobiles. Three guns owned by Burgos were examined and discarted as the murder weapon.

Burgos has claimed his innoncence since the discovery of the body. Last week, he and Maureen's family believed that the woman had been kidnapped, but no ransom demand or word from kidnappers was received. Burgos and Maureen's family became concerned and filed a missing persons report.

Francisco Dall'Anese, the Fiscal General, has been personally involved in the case. He was present at the discovery of the body on Sunday and has taken a personal interest following the receiving of an anonymous call last Thursday from a man claiming that Burgos had made inquiries about having his wife killed.

JOrge Rojas, director of the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ), has been mum other to confirm that the woman had been murdered.

Maureen was buried yesterday afternoon.