Police identify people found dead in Cedar Rapids apartment

Doctors have told the family of Malinda Kennedy that she died of cardiac arrest, Kennedy's son told The Gazette.

Kennedy, 43, and her boyfriend Anthony Stokes, 52,  were found dead Friday morning inside their apartment at 1233 Third Ave. SE, No. 4, police said. Officers found no signs of foul play.

Jacobie Kennedy, of Cedar Rapids, said his mother was found with her head on Stokes' chest. Neighbors told him she left the apartment for a couple hours early Friday morning, and apparently returned to find Stokes' dead.

“Her body was still warm with tears in her eyes,” Jacobie Kennedy said. “I figure she died of a broken heart.”

Kennedy, a mother of six, moved to Cedar Rapids from Georgia a few years ago and had been dating Stokes for most of the time, relatives said. Jacobie Kennedy said they shared a close bond that grew even stronger when his mother's father passed away seven months ago.

Jacobie Kennedy acknowledged that his mother and Stokes both had a history of drug use. He said his mother was clean at the time, but said past drug use and other medical problems may have contributed to her death.

Several family members were at Kennedy and Stokes' apartment late into the night Thursday. Stokes' niece was the last one to see the couple alive when she left around 3 a.m. Friday, relatives said.

Kennedy's brother found the couple dead around 8:30 a.m.

“My mom was loved by everybody,” Jacobie Kennedy said. “My mom is the light, or was the light.”

Kennedy and Stokes had previously been engaged, according to court records. Tom Allie, owner of Three Oaks Apartments, said Kennedy had lived in the apartment on Third Avenue SE for two or three months.

Cedar Rapids police arrested Kennedy when she was found with cocaine and a drug pipe at a previous residence, though those charges were later dismissed by a judge, according to court records.

Stokes has a lengthy criminal record across Iowa, including previous charges in Polk, Black Hawk, Woodbury and Linn counties. He was arrested for marijuana possession at a Cedar Rapids hotel in April and was awaiting trial on the charges.

Police said autopsies would be conducted on the bodies of Kennedy and Stokes to determine the official cause of death. Toxicology tests would be included, but those results might not be known for six to eight weeks, police said.

Jacobie Kennedy said the family is taking donations to give his mother a proper burial.

“My mom didn't deserve to have a heart attack at that age,” he said.

– John McGlothlen contributed to this report.