Found Deceased GA - Timothy Cunningham, 35, Chamblee, 12 Feb 2018 #2

[liltexans]

Sadly, his Mother may know. I believe she received a message that was "disturbing," but she never revealed its contents? Such a loss! A brilliant mind, and a young handsome man with so much more to offer.

Yes, I agree that Tim's family knows quite a bit. This case reminds me so much of Leanne Bearden and Nick Steward's cases and has from the beginning. The family always knows more than is revealed to the public, but I am certain they held out a shred of hope until the end.

 

[sknikixel]

I saw this on the news and had to come over here. My heart is broken for Tim and his family. I know how hard they've been looking. I'm glad they can have some sort of closure, I just wish it included their son and brother alive. And the rocks :cry:

 

[mrstfs]

My heart goes out to his loved ones.

Thinking of everything here who worked so hard trying to find him.


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[Iogic]

Midge Montana,

Forgot to quote, but this is truly the only "thoughts and prayers" post I've ever liked, and probably ever will. Well done, and thanks for sharing.

 

[SolR1]

So sad to hear this news.

I also have questions, still.

Is it likely that Tim's parents would call 911 to report concern about Tim committing suicide? Or is it more likely they'd call 911 because he said he was being threatened in some way?

If his parents did, in fact, call 911 the day before to report a suicide threat, why wait a whole day to travel and check on him? If there's that much concern, why not send family immediately?

Is the Chattahooche cold enough to cause hypothermia? February was unusually warm in Atlanta and the winter was mild.

Obvious signs of foul play might include roped hands/feet, tapped mouth, etc. But without toxicology, poisoning and then dumping cannot be ruled out.

I also think the family's concern about someone having done something to Tim better aligns with their narrative of him being returned. I think if he'd said the night before that he was going to take his life, and they alerted authorities he'd threatened to do so, that both family and LE would have had a different approach in his search, or perhaps just recovery. Even LE said this case was incredibly unusual. There's not much unusual about a suicide if they all knew it was coming.

The suicide angle just doesn't seem to align with the details of the case.

 

[flute4peace]

IDK. Depends on what they are. Not sure how to take the detective's "rare" wording as he might not be aware how rare or how common they really are (and they did not identify or name the crystal/stone). This is the same LEO who said in the previous presser that we would have to ask someone else at the CDC for the difference between chronic and acute diseases... So I take his wording with a huge grain of salt. JMO.

I consider myself reasonably intelligent (college educated) and didn't know the difference until my Mom developed chronic leukemia a few years ago. It just wasn't information relevant to my life before, I guess.

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[frangelica]

RIP Timothy! I pray you and your family get the justice you deserve!

 

[Gardener1850]

I consider myself reasonably intelligent (college educated) and didn't know the difference until my Mom developed chronic leukemia a few years ago. It just wasn't information relevant to my life before, I guess.

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Well that makes sense, but I'm assuming you didn't use the words in a public speech before you looked them up. I'm not trying to bash him or his intelligence-- I don't expect police officers to be experts at everything when giving remarks to the press. I wouldn't know a quartz stone from a rare diamond myself if looking for them in the mud. I was just trying to say I don't put much stock in his words as being "expert opinion" as far as if the stones/crystals Tim had in his pockets were indeed "rare" or not. That's all I meant. The LEO might have considered it rare for someone to collect these particular crystals/rocks if he had never heard of them before. Not knowing what they are called it's hard to evaluate whether they are indeed considered rare by rock collector standards. I wish the press had asked what the crystals were called as a follow up question. I'm curious now if these were something Tim could have found in the area that day or if they were something he carried all the time for some sort of superstitious or sentimental reasons.

 

[daisydaisy]

“Tim’s impact will be felt not only through his significant contributions to CDC’s mission, but also through his influence on the lives of his colleagues and friends."

CDC Statement: https://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law...researcher-cunningham/YVW5jRaGKZyqKB7RyZ1keN/

 

[daisydaisy]

The USGS website gives river data, but I don't find the website very user-friendly. I can only locate a stream site further north than Tim's area (but not by much). The data from 2/12 shows an average temperature of about 55 degrees Fahrenheit, a gage height of about 3.7 feet, and a discharge/streamflow of about 1,800 cubic feet per minute. I believe this means it is slow and shallow at that point.

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/dv?...od=&begin_date=2018-02-12&end_date=2018-02-13

However: The NWS provides a hydrograph of an area in the immediate vicinity of Tim's. It is currently showing the river to be much deeper in that spot, reaching 7-9 feet at some times of the day. Interestingly, though, it dips to its low of 5-6 feet mid-morning around 11am. I would be much obliged to anyone who can figure out how to access historical data here.

https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=ffc&gage=chag1

ETA: You can see additional depths here. Pertinent to Tim's area are Vinings Cobb Pkwy, Vinings Paces Ferry, and Atlanta South Cobb.

https://www.weather.gov/ffc/rva?date=20180331

 

[JazzTune]

So sad to hear this news.

I also have questions, still.

Is it likely that Tim's parents would call 911 to report concern about Tim committing suicide? Or is it more likely they'd call 911 because he said he was being threatened in some way?

If his parents did, in fact, call 911 the day before to report a suicide threat, why wait a whole day to travel and check on him? If there's that much concern, why not send family immediately?

Is the Chattahooche cold enough to cause hypothermia? February was unusually warm in Atlanta and the winter was mild.

Obvious signs of foul play might include roped hands/feet, tapped mouth, etc. But without toxicology, poisoning and then dumping cannot be ruled out.

I also think the family's concern about someone having done something to Tim better aligns with their narrative of him being returned. I think if he'd said the night before that he was going to take his life, and they alerted authorities he'd threatened to do so, that both family and LE would have had a different approach in his search, or perhaps just recovery. Even LE said this case was incredibly unusual. There's not much unusual about a suicide if they all knew it was coming.

The suicide angle just doesn't seem to align with the details of the case.

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?...od=&begin_date=2018-02-01&end_date=2018-04-05


https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?...od=&begin_date=2018-02-01&end_date=2018-04-05

Thanks for finding that. Though water temps lag behind air temps, probably it's even colder in February.

If we assume that water temps were between 40 and 50 degrees Farenheit at the time, this link from a Minnesota site says that expected time before exhaustion or unconsciousness is between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on a lot of factors.

http://www.nbc4i.com/news/where-is-...essional-missing-more-than-2-weeks/1096356881

You brought up a lot of good points and though I can't speak for everything, I will share my thoughts on what I can.

First, the water temperature in the river on that day. 'Lahiker' asked about this upthread and 'daisydaisy' supplied the link above to the site regarding the water temperature. I was able to change the graph at that site to reflect the water temps from the beginning of February in the Chattahoochee at Atlanta.

( Mine is the first one linked. Hers is second. Same site, different dates. ) According to that graph, it appears the water temperature on Feb. 12th was between 50-55 degrees.

I quoted 'Lahiker's' reply that shows survival times in varying water temperatures.

It could be expected then that Timothy would have one-two hours before exhaustion and unconsciousness, and one-six hours survival time at that water temperature in the river.

You stated you believe the family would be more likely to call 911 about Timothy being followed, than about Timothy making suicidal threats. Otherwise, they would have driven down to Georgia immediately rather than waiting.

In my opinion, if their concern about Timothy was only that he was being followed, they would have advised him to call 911 himself. There would have been no reason for them to do it. Timothy himself was very bright. He would have called 911 without needing any prompting.

From all of their interviews I got the distinct impression they were very concerned because Timothy was not acting like himself. His father stated Timothy sounded confused and angry. In my opinion, he gave them reason to believe he was at risk of danger to himself.

Why they didn't come then? The article l linked above states:

"After Cunningham stopped responding to phone calls and text messages, his parents drove through the night from their Maryland home to his apartment."

Perhaps you or I would have come sooner, and I'm sure now they wish they had. But I think they were relying on relatives who lived near Timothy to help watch him too.

As for LE's 'approach' I'm not sure what we would have seen as different, either way.

I don't recall LE really saying very much about their approach at all. Seems like they kept the public in the dark about most of it. We really had no idea what they were doing or not doing.

You're saying too that if this was a suicide, LE would not consider it unusual? I can't agree. Regardless of whether they were forewarned about it or not, I think it would be considered highly unusual, especially with the surrounding circumstances of Timothy's life.

You mentioned him being poisoned and dumped. Certainly it could be a possibility and I'm sure there are a lot of people in that same camp with you. I myself, though have never seriously considered it. Wonder when the toxicology results will be back?

Keep in mind, this is all just my opinion. I could be wrong about everything. In fact, as I said in a previous post, I hope I am. Not about him being poisoned but I do wish it was purely accidental.

At any rate, it's a terrible tragedy, no matter what happened.

I do hope his suffering was brief and merciful...


JMO

 

[Pamela_Brewer]

So sad to hear this news.

I also have questions, still.

Is it likely that Tim's parents would call 911 to report concern about Tim committing suicide? Or is it more likely they'd call 911 because he said he was being threatened in some way?

If his parents did, in fact, call 911 the day before to report a suicide threat, why wait a whole day to travel and check on him? If there's that much concern, why not send family immediately?

Is the Chattahooche cold enough to cause hypothermia? February was unusually warm in Atlanta and the winter was mild.

Obvious signs of foul play might include roped hands/feet, tapped mouth, etc. But without toxicology, poisoning and then dumping cannot be ruled out.

I also think the family's concern about someone having done something to Tim better aligns with their narrative of him being returned. I think if he'd said the night before that he was going to take his life, and they alerted authorities he'd threatened to do so, that both family and LE would have had a different approach in his search, or perhaps just recovery. Even LE said this case was incredibly unusual. There's not much unusual about a suicide if they all knew it was coming.

The suicide angle just doesn't seem to align with the details of the case.

Hypothermia is possible year round.
"The water in the Chattahoochee is much colder than you think! Water is released from the bottom of Buford Dam and is approximately 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This cold water is great for trout, but dangerous for you. Beware of Hypothermia -- the severe lowering of the body's temperature. When exposed to these low temperatures, exhaustion or unconsciousness can occur in less that 30 minutes. If you fall into this cold water, get out quickly and warm yourself. Hypothermia can occur even in the warmest summer months."
https://www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvisit/things2know.htm

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[JazzTune]

The USGS website gives river data, but I don't find the website very user-friendly. I can only locate a stream site further north than Tim's area (but not by much). The data from 2/12 shows an average temperature of about 55 degrees Fahrenheit, a gage height of about 3.7 feet, and a discharge/streamflow of about 1,800 cubic feet per minute. I believe this means it is slow and shallow at that point.

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/dv?...od=&begin_date=2018-02-12&end_date=2018-02-13

However: The NWS provides a hydrograph of an area in the immediate vicinity of Tim's. It is currently showing the river to be much deeper in that spot, reaching 7-9 feet at some times of the day. Interestingly, though, it dips to its low of 5-6 feet mid-morning around 11am. I would be much obliged to anyone who can figure out how to access historical data here.

https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=ffc&gage=chag1

ETA: You can see additional depths here. Pertinent to Tim's area are Vinings Cobb Pkwy, Vinings Paces Ferry, and Atlanta South Cobb.

https://www.weather.gov/ffc/rva?date=20180331

Thanks for this! Sorry, though that I didn't see your post here until after I posted mine. I would have worded mine differently. Too tired to edit it now though...

 

[knowthings]

Does anyone know what kind of timeline we are realistically looking at for identification of the body that was found? I believe liltexans mentioned dental records, which may be all there is to go on at this point.

I presume, given the location and circumstances, APD would attempt to confirm or rule out that it is Tim first? Wishful thinking?

RIP[emoji24]


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[SolR1]

Hypothermia is possible year round.
"The water in the Chattahoochee is much colder than you think! Water is released from the bottom of Buford Dam and is approximately 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This cold water is great for trout, but dangerous for you. Beware of Hypothermia -- the severe lowering of the body's temperature. When exposed to these low temperatures, exhaustion or unconsciousness can occur in less that 30 minutes. If you fall into this cold water, get out quickly and warm yourself. Hypothermia can occur even in the warmest summer months."
https://www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvisit/things2know.htm

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Thanks for the info. Still seems unlikely to me that he'd commit suicide by hypothermia at those water temperatures. It's already a slow death, as is; but who's to say, for sure. JMO there.

According to LE, “The most unusual factor in this case is that every single belonging that we are aware of was located in the residence,” O'Connor had told reporters. “His keys, his cellphone, credit cards, debit cards, wallet, all of his identification, passports. Anything you could think of, we've been able to locate. None of those items are missing.”

IMO, there wouldn't have been anything unusual about any of that if they'd been tipped off by his parents he'd threatened suicide. For suicide, leaving behind those items would have been textbook, actually.

 

[daisydaisy]

Thanks for the info. Still seems unlikely to me that he'd commit suicide by hypothermia at those water temperatures. It's already a slow death, as is; but who's to say, for sure. JMO there.

According to LE, “The most unusual factor in this case is that every single belonging that we are aware of was located in the residence,” O'Connor had told reporters. “His keys, his cellphone, credit cards, debit cards, wallet, all of his identification, passports. Anything you could think of, we've been able to locate. None of those items are missing.”

IMO, there wouldn't have been anything unusual about any of that if they'd been tipped off by his parents he'd threatened suicide. For suicide, leaving behind those items would have been textbook, actually.

All legitimate thoughts based on what we know! If this was suicide, the method is definitely sad and a little strange. The river is not raging, and the bridges are not that high. It would take a very strong will to die to even attempt it. But as others have said, we don’t know what his mental state was, whether he was paranoid, etc. We also don’t know if he could swim or what the toxicology results will show.

Let’s say, for example, he tried it and immediately regretted it. Or what if he took muscle relaxers beforehand? If he was in the middle of fhe stream, freezing, and panicked, he may not have been able to stand up and may have reached exhaustion before he could swim to the banks. If he couldn’t swim, he would’ve just gone on under. It’s truly heartbreaking to think about.

The Leanne Bearden case has been mentioned a few times, as well, and I believe she did take along a backpack and some possessions to the spot where she committed suicide. Some methods need supplies or require travel to the location, but this one wouldn’t. JMO.

 

[daisydaisy]

Now that we know Tim’s fate, I do want to make sure that my “need to know” does not overshadow my respect for him and for his grieving family’s privacy. Obviously there’s still a lot of mystery around the why and how, and I have no idea if any of them read here. But I don’t want to add insult to injury, so to speak.

I’m trying to be mindful, and I truly hope they can all find peace.

 

[Gussified]

I’m starting to question the validity of the HLN sidebar which said Dr. Cunningham’s parents called 911 on Feb 11. I saw it myself on HLN, and I’m the one who reported it here. But, I haven’t seen that reported anywhere else. Literally. I’ve searched online and can’t find any other reports about them calling 911 on Feb 11.

I’m just wondering whether HLN had a typo or something. Maybe they meant to say Feb 14?

 

[JazzTune]

Thanks for the info. Still seems unlikely to me that he'd commit suicide by hypothermia at those water temperatures. It's already a slow death, as is; but who's to say, for sure. JMO there.

According to LE, “The most unusual factor in this case is that every single belonging that we are aware of was located in the residence,” O'Connor had told reporters. “His keys, his cellphone, credit cards, debit cards, wallet, all of his identification, passports. Anything you could think of, we've been able to locate. None of those items are missing.”

IMO, there wouldn't have been anything unusual about any of that if they'd been tipped off by his parents he'd threatened suicide. For suicide, leaving behind those items would have been textbook, actually.

I think Timothy's intent was to take his own life. But I don't think he was necessarily thinking hypothermia at all.

I believe he jumped from the closest bridge which was less than a mile from his home. The latest Gray Hughes videos show how easily he could have accessed that bridge. Timothy may have been thinking the jump itself would have killed him. And it might very well have.

Gray Hughes videos show the various heights of the surrounding bridges. The heights may have been lower than many other bridges but the fall still would have been several stories. For Timothy's sake I hope it was quick.

Gray Hughes also points out that his remains were found approximately 3 miles downstream from Timothy's home. The body could have easily floated downstream those 2 miles during the past weeks, and got tangled in the debris.

And yes, I agree. It was textbook suicide at his home. I believe that is what LE was trying to say in the presser yesterday. They said the investigation will close soon unless new information arises.

I still think it's the whole tragic situation that is very unusual, suicide and all. Even tipped off by the parents. I don't get why that would change anything.

Again this is all my opinion only. I could easily be wrong. I've certainly been wrong in other cases, but from all circumstances I believe this is what happened...


JMO

 

[Isabelle]

I’ve read that Tim was found wearing his running shoes. His death may be due to nothing more than a fatal cardiac arrhythmia. Everything leading to this event may have been nothing more than coincidence. Still sad.