some people have mental illness and are able to hide it...like could Ray have had years of depressive bouts followed by highs tempered by socializing and a stable home life?
could Ray have been overcome by his mania ? could he have been under a delusion ? having paranoia and set off on an odyssey that ended in death or him literally becoming a street person?
I knew a very successful man who lost his mind. He was seen wandering, he was stalking people for bizarre reasons only understood by him, he wrote odd letters and and let his highly successful ( "it" place to be) bar shutter and close for seemingly no good reason...and ended in a mental facility for life long care.
the thing is unless PF saw something unusual in Ray , it's hard to know... sleeping, depressed, distracted..she may not really know Ray or have an opinion about his mental state...this is why I think they should look much harder..I am still not really thinking this but it is possible.
for all we know there was nothing on that hard drive and Ray was in a spy movie that was all in his mind.
too much is unanswered and where is his money?
mOO
I'm answering both your posts in one post as it all dovetails together.
No, Ray was not mentally ill. There is nothing in his history or his friends' histories with him that is strange or points to mental illness. Each of us in the US enjoy the personal freedom to leave our career, our friends, and our country to move elsewhere in the world. Where we go is no one else's business. It is not a crime to leave a fairly ordinary and small life like Ray's and start over. He had one daughter, and she was married and living far away. Her home was established in the Pacific northwestern US. He had no wife or other children, so he basically left a convenient arrangement with Patty, and that's it except for his career, which was months from being finished according to his definition. He was not seeking re-election as D.A. and he didn't want to practice law in an office setting after being D.A.
All of Ray's medical records and his professional reports and writings were gone over looking for a hint of mental illness, a depression or a mental break with reality. NOTHING out of the ordinary was found.
His appearance was neat, not showy but nice. I, a stranger, would have talked to him if he asked me a question or something. He seemed very well groomed, physically fit, the kind of man who would jog and go for brisk walks. I believe, from something I read, that he was somewhat austere in his eating preferences, and was not known to drink alcohol. I believe he had attorney friends who liked their fine cigars and cognac, but I believe he was amused, and just watched, not wanting to partake.
He did some area hiking on weekends. We don't know if he was part of a hiking group or if he was stuck with Patty on weekends, too. I would expect him to not take risky hikes, but more like bird spotting strolls. He never displayed risky behavior from the reports of his friends. They said he sometimes drove his little sports car a bit fast, but there are some of us who just love to drive a bit fast with the music up a bit, happy as can be. I totally understand that, as I've always been the same way.
He DID ask a nurse on duty to marry him upon first meeting. I have had this happen as a nurse as well, but it's likely Ray wasn't truly serious about a runaway marriage, but wanted to date her. It's not known who she is, or where she is, but I tend to think the anecdote was fairly close to his leaving Bellefonte. His friend or friends who apparently were present remembered the exchange, which likely means it wasn't " years ago" at that time.
I don't think Ray and Patty had a complicated relationship. It seemed like he paid her mortgage off and bought her the Mini Cooper, and in exchange, he had the affections of a plain but neat appearing , settled 40 year old he worked with at the court house to sleep with, to cook his meals, and keep her house clean. She spoke on video after he was missing like he was the love of her life, and he may have been, but there's no grand gestures on either person's part that we are aware of which demonstrates great love one for the other.
The most loving thing I know that he did was when Steve Sloane, one of his ADAs, had a near fatal car accident with many severe injuries, Ray spent time in the evening reading to Steve. Likely, Steve remembers hearing Ray's voice and that's it. Still, Ray extended himself for someone in deep pain and injury in the hospital, so this shows he was an empathetic and kind hearted man. Maybe he didn't read to strangers ( I wouldn't either) but he did to his friend.
Another gentle and loving thing he did was when he and Barbara adopted Lara, an infant. He stayed home for about a year and a half and was the caregiver for his baby girl while his wife was working as a professor. I always hate it when this part gets left out, because not many attorneys would step out of their professional life to put their newborn baby first. I think it shows so much love for his daughter. My source for this info is his Wikipedia entry. It may or may not be correct, as most historians say he offered to take care of Lara as a full- time parent at home, but the ADA job in Centre County opened up. I think maybe the timeline is a bit off and that he did stay home with a newborn to very small infant for as long as he could do so. To be with her, to bond with her, to show her love and devotion as a father.
There are photos of the house he shared with Patty after he was gone. We know he collected antique toys, especially trains. There was not one shred of anything that looked like it could belong to Ray in the photos, not even photos. He had been obliterated from the very small personal life he'd led for the last 18 months to 2 years in Bellefonte. As for what Patty did with his things, we don't know.
The part of your post about Patty not really knowing him is likely true on many levels. She likely was not cerebral enough to communicate with him on his level. They probably had talks about that dog as much as any other thing, or their food. She seemed shallow and bland to me. I think he'd be suffocating for need of a deeper connection. Patty took the casual mention of a drive through the country with stops at interesting places after Ray retired as some huge flashing sign that they'd always be together, and that the trip had some special meaning for her in their time together. I don't know why she'd think this, unless Ray TRULY didn't take her out much at all. It's pitiful to hear her wax poetic about a long car trip with no destinations or point to it. Not even Disney World.
He was not mentally ill. Unless people have left out literally books' worth of information about him, we have a clear picture into his life, some of which I've just told you about. His caseload was that of the senior D.A., he was the supervisor of his department, which was well run. He was in press conferences, demeanor normal. He was on video going into the courthouse through the parking lot on Wed. or Thurs. evening, and he looks normally peppy, head in normal position, walking at a nice brisk pace. He saw a tricked out Jeep and turned to look at it pass through the employees' parking lot, so he was very aware of his surroundings.
I didn't get the feeling that he talked much about his home life, including Patty. What's really to say? Also, it was a bit tawdry and he likely knew it was an extremely temporary thing. No engagement ring, no plans to marry on his part that we know of.
It seemed Convenient for him to be living with Patty more than anything else. No commitments, he probably paid for all the food, utilities, gasoline, etc. but, again, I think it was a " small life" they had. Quiet and small.
I bet he could hardly wait to leave.
