IDAHO FALLS — A “coroner’s inquest” ruled how an Idaho Falls woman died near Heise in 1966.

The story of Mrs. C.L. (Gwen) Englund, 49, was featured in our weekly Looking Back column, which looks back on what life was like during different periods in east Idaho history.

Man who believed he was a ‘divine healer’ taken to asylum and woman found dead near Heise

Who was Gwen Englund?

Englund was born in Lewisville. When she was “a small child,” her family moved to Idaho Falls, where she grew up and graduated from Idaho Falls High School. She married C. Leone Englund of Rexburg in 1939.

She was described as an “ardent fisherman” and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“Mrs. Englund was quite well-known in this area, having many relatives and friends,” The Rigby Star wrote on Sept. 29, 1966.

Englund’s body discovered

Englund’s body was found on Sept. 24, 1966, around 5:30 p.m. Her body was found by her camper five miles east of Heise, and the Bonneville County sheriff said a .22 caliber rifle was found nearby.

She was shot in the chest. Law enforcement were trying to determine whether someone shot her or if it was self-inflicted wound.

The Rigby Star originally reported that fisherman Jess V. Schow found the body. But Schow later testified that two Salt Lake City men, Brigham Olsen and Guy Briggs, had found the body, and then he went to investigate.

Investigation leads to answers

An inquest was held on Nov. 30, 1966, but nothing about it was reported until Dec. 5, 1966. At that time, it became known that Bonneville County Coroner Hazel McGaffey ruled Englund’s death an accident.

A handful of people testified about their part in the investigation of Englund’s death, including Deputy Sheriff James Thomas, Sheriff Lester G. Hopkins, and state patrolmen Sgt. Richard Foote and Ronald Ropp.

“The officers said the FBI reports indicate the muzzle was about an inch from her outer garments when the rifle was fired,” the Idaho Falls Post Register wrote. “They said the weapon was new, that it had not been properly assembled, but that it had been assembled well enough to fire.”

Dr. D.C. Stoddard, her attending physician, said Englund “had never indicated suicidal tendencies.” Other testimonies also explained that it wasn’t unusual for Englund to go fishing alone. Englund’s husband “declined to testify.”

Prosecuting attorney Jack G. Voshell handled the questioning, and Mrs. McGaffey presided. John W. Morgan, John Rogers, Mrs. Walter Kay, Harold Davis, Mrs. Lester Lux, Richard McColley, and Ester Anderson served on the jury.

Funeral services for Englund were held at the Wood Chapel of the Pines, and interment was held at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Idaho Falls.

Attorneys for Bryan Kohberger, the man accused in the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, are challenging an array of evidence in an effort to prevent prosecutors from presenting it at trial. 

A filing posted Friday totaled more than 160 pages and included the legal justification for blocking a variety of materials that Kohberger’s lawyers say were improperly obtained, the Idaho Statesman reported. 

Some of the evidence defense lawyers want suppressed is Kohberger’s genetic information, which they argue was “illegally gathered by law enforcement,” citing the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, according to the newspaper. 

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Kohberger is accused of killing Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, in a 4 a.m. attack on Nov. 13, 2022. All four were staying in a six-bedroom home just steps from the university campus. 

At the time of the slayings, Kohberger was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology at neighboring Washington State University, less than 10 miles from the site of the killings. 

He claimed he was taking one of many solo, nighttime drives at the time of the murders. 

Bryan Kohberger, left, listens as defense attorney Jay Logsdon, standing, presents oral arguments in favor of overturning Kohberger’s grand jury indictment in Moscow, Idaho, on Oct. 26, 2023. (Kai Eiselein-Pool/Getty Images)

Authorities said Kohberger’s DNA was found on a Ka-Bar knife sheath under Mogen’s body. DNA was later matched to Kohberger through a cheek swab. 

Other evidence being challenged by the defense includes the contents of Kohberger’s digital history on his Amazon, Google, Apple iCloud and AT&T phone accounts, citing privacy law violations, as well as evidence obtained from his apartment in Pullman, Washington, with a search warrant. 

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Bryan Kohberger listens to arguments during a hearing in Moscow, Idaho, on Oct. 26, 2023. (Kai Eiselein/New York Post via AP, Pool)

Prosecutors have until Dec. 6 to respond to the defense’s 14 evidence suppression filings. A public hearing on the matter is scheduled for Jan. 23. 

The venue for the murder trial was moved from the college town of Moscow to Boise after defense lawyers argued the extensive media coverage would make it difficult to find impartial jurors. 

The change also resulted in Judge Steven Hippler being assigned to preside over the proceedings, replacing Latah County District Judge John Judge, who agreed to the change of venue. 

Bryan Kohberger arrives at Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 3, 2023, before waiving extradition to Idaho to face murder charges in the stabbing deaths of four university students. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)

Hippler, who is no stranger to murder cases, denied Kohberger’s request to extend deadlines for filing motions for discovery material. 

“Motions to enlarge a deadline filed on the eve of the deadline are not well taken,” the judge wrote in a Friday ruling. “The State’s discovery deadline was September 6, 2024. Defendant could have ascertained far sooner whether the discovery motions deadline would pose a difficulty and brought it to the Court’s attention.”

Madison Mogen, top left, smiles on the shoulders of her best friend, Kaylee Goncalves, as they pose with Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and two other housemates in Goncalves’ final Instagram post, shared the day before the four students were stabbed to death. (@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)

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“Furthermore, and importantly, Defendant has not demonstrated with his filing good cause to enlarge the deadline,” he added. “He has not set forth what efforts have been made to review the discovery, what portion of discovery has not yet been reviewed, why it has not been reviewed or how long it will take to complete such review.”

Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.