Teddy was MURDERED!
We were awakened by the telephone ringing about 8 am July 8, 2000. It was my step father on the other end of the phone. He told me that Teddy was dead. I was in complete disbelief - I thought he was joking. Yet there was something in his voice told me that he was NOT joking; he was very serious. I asked what, how? The reply he gave was that he had comitted suicide. When I asked for the details I was told that he was found in the front yard of his in-laws home; he was hanging from a tree. He had used an extension cord.
My step father was not real sure of all of the details, just what he had been told by my brother's wife's ex-husband - Rob, (which is who called to tell my mother of Teddy's death). Our mother and step father felt just like I did; there must be some mistake! They called the local Police Department of the city to which my brother lived and it was confirmed; Teddy was in fact deceased.
THANK YOU, ROB!
When we went to the Police Department and had begun asking questions. The Detective looked it up and sure enough, Teddy had made three calls begging for help because someone had been threatening him. After they arrived, they were told by Teddy's wife that there was nothing going on; "Teddy had just been drinking too much". Within hours, Teddy was dead.
We asked to see the photo's. Teddy was hanging from a tree with his knees slightly bent and his feet were on the ground. How do you hang yourself if your feet are touching the ground? The tree was only about 8 feet tall. The trunk was no larger than Teddy's thigh, the branch that he was attached to was no bigger than his wrist (if that big) he was only 130 lbs.
They showed photo's of Teddy attached to the tree and after they had cut the orange outdoor extension cord and he lay on the ground. The image will be forever seared into my memory. He mouth was black and his mouth was opened. His eyes were slightly opened as well. He lay there in a very wierd position. He had scratch marks on his neck and bruises all over him. In the pictures you could see in the background; his half full cup of coffee.
Teddy's death was ruled a suicide; even though the pieces did not fit. I did not believe it then and I refuse to believe it now. It was not suicide and someday the truth will come out. Teddy last came to see me on June 18th when I saw his new glasses, bald head and called him Bert Jr. He told us that he wanted to get a gun because Rose's boyfriend; Kevin (which lived only a couple doors down from them) had been threatening to kill him and he was afraid. Within a couple weeks he's dead? His wedding ring was found in the drain across the street. Yeah, I believe he killed himself! The police department knew they had messed up too because they hadn't roped anything off, they didn't even realize that he had call 911 three times the night he died...until I mentioned it to them...Teddy had called us (his family) and told us he had called them and why. The entire scene was contaminated and half of the evidence was now gone due to their negligence.
His wife was telling us how much drinking he did on the eve before his death. Yet when he was autopsied, he had a very low amount of alcohol in his system (merely a trace) however there was a very high level of barbiturates in his system. Teddy was not a drug user! Things were just not adding up for it to be a suicide.
She did admit to us that she wasn't going to tell us because she thought we'd blame her. She was just going to bury him and never tell us he was dead....if it wouldn't have been for her ex husband, we wouldn't have known.
He was buried next to my grandmother where he would have wanted to be, yet three days later his remains were exumed and autopsied again. There was a HUGE fight at his funeral...she kept saying she was going to have him exhumed, and burned! She was attempting to hide evidence. I do not believe he is resting yet.
Teddy was not rich, nor was he famous, but he was and is priceless. He cannot be replaced. He was a kind and gentle soul.
Stories still surface after all this time. Someday, like good Karma...what goes around, comes around.
I did run into his "wife" last year at a local carnival. When I called for someone to come get my kids (because I was about to get revenge on her) she decided to disappear because I told her I was going to get her here and now. I did tell her that I would (and some day I WILL) get a piece of her fat skanky cheating ass for what she did to my brother. That is a promise.