Texas death tied to 17-year-old stab wound

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- An Austin, Texas, woman's death this summer is being blamed on complications from a stab wound more than 17 years ago, police said.

When Frances Foster, 53, was found dead near a vacant building July 8, investigators found no external wounds or other trauma to the body and did not suspect foul play, police said. An old stab wound in her pancreas was discovered during an autopsy, and further investigation found Foster had been stabbed during a summer 1992 disturbance, homicide Detective Sgt. Joseph Chacon told the Austin American-Statesman.

Investigators also determined Foster had had a series of medical problems associated with her pancreas since the stabbing, Chacon said.

Because police think her death was related to the stabbing, the case is being investigated as a homicide, Chacon told the newspaper.

In 1992, police identified a person of interest in the stabbing but no charges were filed, Chacon said. He said that person remains a person of interest but he would not say whether investigators have spoken to the person -- or whether the person was still in Austin.