Found Deceased MI - Dr. Teleka Patrick, 30, Kalamazoo, 5 Dec 2013 - #14

[knacker]

"Over the past several months, you have gotten to know Teleka Cassandra Patrick. You’ve gotten to know her how we knew her and you’ve seen her bright and caring smile. She was beautiful, intelligent, and God-fearing. You’ve prayed for Teleka, cried for Teleka, and worked to find Teleka and we thank you. We thank you for walking this difficult journey with our family.

Teleka’s death is not the ending we had hoped for, however, the journey does not end here. As we mourn Teleka, we must also honor her; honor the life she led, honor her kind spirit and honor her devotion to God and others. Teleka had a passion and zest for life and no matter the circumstances that led up to her death, we are certain that she would not have taken her own life. Many questions remain, but what is certain is that we will love her forever and her legacy will continue to live on in the love we show to others.

Thank you for your prayers. Please respect our privacy in this difficult time.

The Patrick Family"

 

[Roselvr]

So confusing... What about last night when they couldn't confirm ID?
While Kalamazoo says case closed; Indiana says otherwise

From the live feed

Alex Mitchell | amitche5@mlive.com
36 Minutes Ago
"We don't know why we wouldn't have found her, once you take on water in your lungs, a body goes down." She was found floating in 3 feet of water. The lake is 21 feet at its deepest point.

Body Located In Lake Charles Identified

An autopsy was conducted, yesterday, Tuesday, April 8th, 2014, at the Lake County Coroner’s facility and fingerprint comparisons by the Indiana State Police Laboratory confirmed the identification as Teleka Patrick, 30 of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

While the autopsy was able to confirm identity, investigation continues to determine the cause of death. Pending toxicology results may provide additional information as to the cause of death.

 

[colette]

Teleka was very good at hiding her mental illness. The whole reason for her being in Michigan was due to her delusion that she was going to marry someone who didn't even know her....that is why she was a resident there.

 

[musicaljoke]

I doubt Borgess is legally liable for TP's mental illness and her spiraling out of control. Apparently (and according to reports police gathered) she was very adept at hiding her issues. Her family did know about those issues, at least to some extent.

She didn't hide her issues. She tweeted around the clock. She made videos. There were people who knew. It was captured on cameras. It was out there for all the world to see.

I'm not quite so willing to let the hospital off the hook. That's where the mental illness diagnostic experts clustered. I can well imagine that they are holding conference to plan their course of action in response to this tragedy.

Rest in Peace, Teleka.

 

[blue22]

She didn't hide her issues. She tweeted around the clock. She made videos. There were people who knew. It was captured on cameras. It was out there for all the world to see.

I'm not quite so willing to let the hospital off the hook. That's where the mental illness diagnostic experts clustered. I can well imagine that they are holding conference to plan their course of action in response to this tragedy.

Rest in Peace, Teleka.

Are you suggesting that the hospital should have been checking her social media for mental illness? It seems to me, that she hid her issues from people in real like and exposed them on the internet. I don't think it's the hospital's responsibility to stalk social media. I do think anyone calling themselves her friend and seeing everything she posting, seriously failed her.

 

[Roselvr]

Thanks for this post, Roselvr! It never occurred to me that TP could have actually SEEN LE and hid from them due to complications from mental illness. That she might have been in the wooded area, crouching down and waiting for them to leave so she would feel safe coming out. From there it could simply have been a matter of wandering through the trees until she found herself in the river.

I've said it before, but I really am very sorry that all of this happened. No one is to blame in this case. It's just tragic all around.

Woke up late; by the time I got coffee; presser was over. Tried to sign into mlive a few mins ago to comment; there was an error; now comments aren't loading on the live blog. Glad I still have a tab open.

Alex Mitchell | amitche5@mlive.com 1 Hour Ago
He said it is a very steep walk down to the lake, so a person would have to be very careful.

Fuller said he is unaware of whether or not Patrick could swim.

None of it makes sense; especially since LE supposedly got there within minutes of her car pulling off the road.

She had to have been panicked; ran in the water by accident; it was a spot that was deep near the edge; it was so cold that she couldn't get herself out?

I hope she is able to rest in peace. :rose:
So very tragic. Her life was just starting.

 

[musicaljoke]

Are you suggesting that the hospital should have been checking her social media for mental illness? It seems to me, that she hid her issues from people in real like and exposed them on the internet. I don't think it's the hospital's responsibility to stalk social media. I do think anyone calling themselves her friend and seeing everything she posting, seriously failed her.

No, I don't expect the hospital to check her social media, but I expect that what was reflected in her social media was also evident in her daily life (MOO). Do you remember when the discussion of her mental state first became mentioned on this thread, that there were a few people, trained in mental illness, who saw the videos and confidently recognized that she had a mental disorder? What did they see?

I am convinced that there were obvious clues that ought to have been, and perhaps were picked up by her colleagues. Things like, unusual gestures, inappropriate facial responses, inabilities to connect socially, detachment, anxiety, disconnected emotions, pacing, or walking to places that lead nowhere, ... and other physical clues are not easily hidden.

It's just such a sad situation.

 

[Jessen]

RIP Dr. Patrick. May you sing with the angels.

 

[weaselpuppy]

I hope someone returns that $100 to the co worker. So she drove straight through without stopping it seems.

The timeline studies done here supported this. Almost exactly 2 hours, 110 miles and navigating the most likely path from Borgess to I-94 (Gull Rd to Riverview to Kalamazoo Ave to Stadium Dr to 131 south to 94 East) encounters 2 choke points of traffic lights groupings that makes this route about 15 minutes to US-131. Add the highway mileage and some erratic driving and the +/- was very tight for any detours ( like back home to Gull Run Apts first) etc.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

She didn't hide her issues. She tweeted around the clock. She made videos. There were people who knew. It was captured on cameras. It was out there for all the world to see.

I'm not quite so willing to let the hospital off the hook. That's where the mental illness diagnostic experts clustered. I can well imagine that they are holding conference to plan their course of action in response to this tragedy.

Rest in Peace, Teleka.

I personally found the hospital's released statement quite sterile, and terse, other than saying 'their prayers are with her family.' (paraphrasing)

They didn't say what a wonderful doctor she had been or how deeply the hospital staff would miss her. I thought that odd, but maybe not, maybe they knew more about Teleka than we think they did.

 

[weaselpuppy]

She didn't hide her issues. She tweeted around the clock. She made videos. There were people who knew. It was captured on cameras. It was out there for all the world to see.

I'm not quite so willing to let the hospital off the hook. That's where the mental illness diagnostic experts clustered. I can well imagine that they are holding conference to plan their course of action in response to this tragedy.

Rest in Peace, Teleka.

Their legal and HR have been getting their ducks in a row from at least Dec 6th, maybe the 5th, maybe before....

For sure people there found her odd/quirky etc at a minimum. What more we'll never know, as they have HIPAA and a lot of other privacy laws, lawyers and bankroll on their side

PPOs generally aren't released to current employers. Given the content of the PPO, if they had obtained notice of it backchannel (Borgess has deep roots in that community), then IMO they would have dug into it, obtained a copy and eventually taken some action about her daily duties. It seems very unlikely to me Borgess knew about the PPO until all this broke publicly.

 

[belimom]

Police will not speculate on how she got to the pond; they don't know.

Multiple ways to get to the lake.

It's dark, it was muddy. Someone could (easily) stumble.

No ice on the lake the night she went missing, but the weather changed after she went missing.

No idea why they didn't find her earlier, but she probably sank once the air went out of her lungs.

Other than waiting for toxicology report, there are no further actions. This is not a crime. Probable accidental drowning.

Investigation will be closed.

/the end

bbm

I'm not sure that is correct. I think that a fully-clothed person with a winter coat would sink, even with air in their lungs. And then the body would float again, eventually (don't want to get too gory…).

 

[belimom]

No, I don't expect the hospital to check her social media, but I expect that what was reflected in her social media was also evident in her daily life (MOO). Do you remember when the discussion of her mental state first became mentioned on this thread, that there were a few people, trained in mental illness, who saw the videos and confidently recognized that she had a mental disorder? What did they see?

I am convinced that there were obvious clues that ought to have been, and perhaps were picked up by her colleagues. Things like, unusual gestures, inappropriate facial responses, inabilities to connect socially, detachment, anxiety, disconnected emotions, pacing, or walking to places that lead nowhere, ... and other physical clues are not easily hidden.

It's just such a sad situation.

As a licensed psychologist, I believe it is entirely possible to hide mental illness from superiors. I know that for a fact, as I know folks who have done that and been successful. There is a difference between being quirky, having unusual gestures, etc., vs being delusional and out of touch with reality.

If everyone that seemed 'odd' was pegged for a mental illness, then we'd be labeling a good chunk of the population.

BUT - even if they had known that she had a mental illness - what could they have done? If her patients were cared for, if she were performing well on the job, if there was no concern for her safety or that of others, then taking action would be discrimination. I have worked with and gone to grad school with people who were actively seeking treatment - even being hospitalized intermittently. They were still allowed to continue. Anything otherwise would be violating their rights (which can only be taken away if their safety or someone else's is at risk).

 

[Roselvr]

I personally found the hospital's released statement quite sterile, and terse, other than saying 'their prayers are with her family.' (paraphrasing)

They didn't say what a wonderful doctor she had been or how deeply the hospital staff would miss her. I thought that odd, but maybe not, maybe they knew more about Teleka than we think they did.

Didn't they end it by saying they were waiting for the official report today?

 

[oceanblueeyes]

bbm

I'm not sure that is correct. I think that a fully-clothed person with a winter coat would sink, even with air in their lungs. And then the body would float again, eventually (don't want to get too gory&#8230.

Once a person's lungs are replaced with water (which is much heavier) rather than air they will sink like a rock to the bottom and stay there. The added weight of the clothing would just help her sink faster.

The body would float again, and it did at some point, but that takes heat, and much warmer water. Until those things occur the body will remain on the bottom.

Heat is a conductor that helps the remains to start producing gases within the body, and that is why they eventually float to the top when the weather, and water warms up.

Teleka probably had surface a week or so before the fisherman discovered her. Once she is on the surface of the water, and closer to the heat of the sun, the quicker she will begin to decompose. When she was still on the bottom of very cold water the decomp nor gases form nearly as much, and that is why they don't rise to the surface when they went in during the winter months, but do rise in the spring when it warms up.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Didn't they end it by saying they were waiting for the official report today?

Do you mean the hospital said this? I don't really recall Roselvr. They may have. If so, I think that also is odd. Why would the official report be the deciding factor whether they commented on what a wonderful, much loved, respected doctor she was or prevent them from saying how she will be terribly missed by her peers.

Or are you talking about what was said at the PC today?

Sorry if I am not understanding you correctly.

 

[Roselvr]

Do you mean the hospital said this? I don't really recall Roselvr. They may have. If so, I think that also is odd. Why would the official report be the deciding factor whether they commented on what a wonderful, much loved, respected doctor she was or prevent them from saying how she will be terribly missed by her peers.

Or are you talking about what was said at the PC today?

Sorry if I am not understanding you correctly.

Do you have the link? Was just looking for it.
Sorry; that was me; my brain is still foggy due to being sick. I believe they were waiting until there was a positive ID.

Once a person's lungs are replaced with water (which is much heavier) rather than air they will sink like a rock to the bottom and stay there. The added weight of the clothing would just help her sink faster.

The body would float again, and it did at some point, but that takes heat, and much warmer water. Until those things occur the body will remain on the bottom.

Heat is a conductor that helps the remains to start producing gases within the body, and that is why they eventually float to the top when the weather, and water warms up.

Teleka probably had surface a week or so before the fisherman discovered her. Once she is on the surface of the water, and closer to the heat of the sun, the quicker she will begin to decompose. When she was still on the bottom of very cold water the decomp nor gases form nearly as much, and that is why they don't rise to the surface when they went in during the winter months, but do rise in the spring when it warms up.

According to the article below; they looked at the lake Tuesday April 1st; it was still partially covered in ice. Wish we knew what parts were covered with ice.

New Teleka Patrick search in Indiana turns up no clues, Kalamazoo detective says April 01, 2014 at 4:42 PM, updated April 01, 2014 at 4:48 PM

Still on investigators’ to-do list in the search for Patrick, Sparrow said, is to send a dive team into Lake Charles, a body of water located to the north of I-94 not far from where police found Patrick’s gold 1997 Lexus ES300 the night she went missing.

Sparrow said that while there was no snow on the ground in Porter Tuesday, the lake is still partially covered in ice.

“That would be at a later date … and I don’t know when that will be,” Sparrow said of searching the lake

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Thoughts and prayers for Teleka's family and friends. A beautiful, brilliant young woman is gone too soon, but Teleka is now free from the demons that tormented her troubled mind. :rose:

 

[Taticat]

I hope someone returns that $100 to the co worker. So she drove straight through without stopping it seems.

Ok...I'm teary-eyed, but I had to laugh! Talk about the most awkward debt collection EVER...

Well, like my grandfather always said: cry or laugh, your choice.


Sent from my Lite-Brite modded to run Free BSD.

 

[psyquestor]

After reading the families comments about being so sure that Teleka would not suicide - I am ANGRY and hurt.

God fearing, intelligent loving people DO take their own lives - sadly. To say otherwise is ignorant and hurtful to those of us who have lost loved ones in this manner.

Still. . .
I feel a deep sorrow for their loss, so I will just stop there. I am not capable presently of articulating how horrid I feel that statement was. How misleading, and stigmatized it was. I'm just going to go off and sob for awhile I guess.

Suicide and mental health issues can happen in ANY family, ANYWHERE and at ANY TIME. No one is immune, no matter how beautiful, smart or precious they may be. Stop the ignorance

I will be walking in another Out of Darkness event this Saturday. If you are the praying type, please put in a good word for our cause. It is so dear to me, to spread awareness.