Dr. Philip Gattuso, DDS, widower, Fargo, ND, 2009; murdered by man hired by his FIL because FIL didn't approve of his parenting

airportwoman

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I'm surprised this case didn't get more attention! I never heard of it until I saw a Discovery ID "See No Evil" episode about it recently.

Philip and Valerie Gattuso lived in Fargo, where he was a dentist, and she underwent open-heart surgery in 2007, shortly after their daughter's birth. She experienced major complications, and among other things was on an artificial heart for 18 months until she died in early 2009. She was mostly cared for in Oklahoma City by her parents, whom I assume were wealthy (news stories allude to a horse farm), as was the daughter, while the husband mostly stayed in Fargo and maintained his practice. After her death, he took the child back to Fargo with him, and later in the year, her father hired their handyman, who had a lengthy criminal record that he claimed he didn't know about, for $3,000 to travel to Fargo and kill him.

I suspect she COULDN'T return to Fargo, because they wouldn't have the sophisticated medical facilities that the Twin Cities, where she had the surgery, or Oklahoma City would. I found no evidence that he had affairs while she was away, although a woman did come forward and said she had gone out with him a few times in the weeks before he died.

In time, one of his brothers and his wife adopted the child, and they also filed a permanent restraining order against his entire family. If the daughter wants to contact them when she's 18, she can do that. AFAIK, the FIL's wife has not divorced him, and at least one sibling also believes that their father is innocent, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Perhaps they disapproved of him. If that's the case, you use LEGAL methods to care for children!


 

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