Cold Case: Was Linda Murdered?

In Fresno, Calif., authorities are taking another look at the sudden death of a young woman five years ago. What was initially determined to be heart failure has been re-classified as "poisoning," and the victim's family thinks they know who did it. National correspondent Hattie Kauffman reports for The Early Show on the mysterious death of Linda Adanalian.

At the time of her abrupt death, Linda Adanalian was a vibrant, healthy mother of four. Says her sister, Meg Bakich, "She loved life. She was full of life. And above all else, she loved being a mom."

However, Linda was in an unhappy, volatile marriage. Linda's brother, Dave Dalition, says, "She told friends and family: 'If anything happens to me, you need to look at Mark.' "

After years of silence, the family is now going public with their concerns. But just how Linda died is still disputed. Don Fischbach, the attorney for Linda's husband, Mark, says Mark Adanalian doesn't know how Linda died. "He was surprised about it as much as everybody else," says the attorney.

When Meg Bakich got the call that informed her of her sister's death, what went through her mind?

"Well," she replies, "the first words out of my mouth were: 'Oh, my God. He killed her.' In public, he was wonderful and would say nice things about her. But behind closed doors, he was an angry, angry man with a lot of rage."

Linda and Mark were married in a church in 1987. Ironically, it was on the steps of the same church that she suddenly collapsed. Her four children were with her, and they screamed for help.

All life-saving efforts by emergency room doctors failed. Linda had suffered cardio vascular collapse. The initial autopsy could not determine why. The death certificate listed the cause of death as "pending."

Says attorney Fischbach of his client, "He knows he didn't do anything that caused her death and he had no connection."

Linda's brother, Dave, says, "The husband insisted on trying to persuade everyone that she's simply suffered a heart attack, that it was not worth looking back. But we should move forward with our lives and accept that for what it was."

But Linda had had no previous signs of heart trouble.

Lela Henke-Dobroth is a retired district attorney. At the request of Linda's parents and a national victims' rights organization, she began looking into the case.

Says Henke-Dobroth, "When she was taken to the emergency room, they specifically said to her: 'Have you suffered any chest pains?' and she said, 'No, I've had no symptoms like that.' And she looked into the nurse's eyes, and she said, 'I'm dying. I know I'm dying.' "

Linda's family demanded her body be exhumed for further testing. Her husband fought the exhumation. Why? Says attorney Fischbach, "There were personal reasons. We can all understand why you would not want to exhume the body of your wife, under all of those circumstances. Also, Mark has four wonderful children. He has been very, very careful to protect them as well."

A second autopsy indicated selenium poisoning. Tasteless and odorless, selenium is found everywhere from supplements to gun-cleaning solution. In high concentrations, it can kill. Selenium was found in Linda's liver, kidney, lung and spleen. In 2003, the death certificate was amended to read: Cause of death: Acute selenium toxicity.

But Fischbach maintains that the cause of Linda Adanalian's death was not selenium poisoning.

"And there are some experts that have given the opinion that it is selenium, but there're a great number, including one who's a nationally recognized expert, who's recently called up and let us know, this is appalling, in his opinion, about what is happening to Mark, because it could not have been selenium or poisoning."

Last August, Henke-Dobroth presented the Fresno police chief with an 88-page report, laying out the family's claims against Mark Adanalian. She says, "There is clearly enough information, evidence, that this case should have been investigated as a homicide, as a murder, and that Mark Adanalian should have been investigated as the prime suspect.

"He wanted her gone," he continues. "In fact, just a few weeks before she died, he was heard to say in a very angry hostile voice, that he could not stand to live another day with that… and I leave the word blank."

Linda's family claims he was heard making disparaging remarks about Linda at the funeral.

Says attorney Fischbach, "We've seen and read about all those comments that he may have made. Some of them he denies he made. Some are probably true. He has somewhat of a personality that way."

And about the exhumation, says Henke-Dobroth, "He said, 'Well, if you find something, I didn't do it.' To me, that's telling. That's a telling statement, isn't it?"

Henke-Dobroth also points to a TV movie that aired just months before Linda's death. In the film, a man killed his wife by poisoning her with selenium.

Mark Adanalian's lawyer says, "We've looked at that film. We don't think there is any similarity."

Says Linda's sister, Meg Bakich, "I don't know if he got the idea from watching it, but I do know that Linda did watch it when it aired."

The Fresno Police Department refused a request by CBS News for an interview, but in a statement said, "…The case continues to be closely examined by both a Homicide Investigator and a Prosecutor."

But Linda Adanalian's family feels the wheels of justice may be turning too slowly.

Says her sister, "I wake up every morning with a pit in my stomach… and when I think about the fact, she was murdered. Her life was taken from her. And there needs to be justice for Linda."

The Fresno Police Department has not named anyone as a suspect in this case.