Linda Stevenson, wife of Jill Biden’s ex Bill Stevenson, found dead after police call

NEW CASTLE COUNTY, DELAWARE: Authorities are investigating the death of Linda Stevenson, the wife of Bill Stevenson, the first husband of former First Lady Jill Biden, after she was found unresponsive inside her home following a reported domestic dispute on Sunday night.

Police responded to the residence on Idlewood Road in the Oak Hill community on December 28, where officers discovered Linda Stevenson, 64, inside the living room of the home, according to a statement released by the New Castle County Police Department.

Police respond to reported domestic dispute

According to the department’s press release, officers were dispatched to the 1300 block of Idlewood Road at approximately 11:16 PM local time after receiving a call reporting a domestic dispute at the residence.

“Officers immediately administered life-saving measures; however, despite their efforts, Linda Stevenson was later pronounced deceased,” police said in the release.

Authorities confirmed that no charges have been filed at this time, and emphasized that the circumstances surrounding Stevenson’s death remain under active investigation.

Criminal investigators and forensic team step in

Detectives from the New Castle County Police Division’s Criminal Investigations Unit responded to the scene shortly after first responders arrived. The Delaware Division of Forensic Science is expected to conduct an autopsy to determine both the cause and manner of death.

Police have not released details regarding the nature of the reported dispute or whether any injuries were observed at the scene. Officials have also declined to confirm whether any individuals were taken into custody or questioned following the incident.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Connection to Jill Biden through former marriage

Linda Stevenson was married to Bill Stevenson, a businessman and former Delaware political figure who was previously married to Jill Biden.

Jill Biden married Bill Stevenson in 1970 while she was still in college. The marriage ended in divorce in 1975, two years before she met and later married former US President Joe Biden in 1977.

The former First Lady has rarely spoken publicly about her first marriage, choosing instead to keep that chapter of her life largely private.

Biographer reflects on Jill Biden’s early marriage

In a 2022 interview, Jill Biden biographer Julie Pace spoke about the emotional toll the early marriage and divorce took on the future First Lady.

“She had these expectations of sort of what that marriage was going to be, and the marriage did not live up to those expectations,” Pace said. “She was incredibly young and probably a bit naïve about what life was going to look like, and it stings her. It really stings her, and it makes her question quite a bit.”

Pace added that Biden coped with the divorce by emotionally compartmentalizing the experience.

“She’s very good at compartmentalizing,” Pace explained. “I think that’s another moment where she did that. She kind of compartmentalizes. ‘This was a failure, and I’m really pretty devastated about it, but I’m going to compartmentalize that, and I’m going to move on, and I’m going to start building out my career.’”