Found Deceased WI - Kathleen Ryan, adult, teacher, car found burned with body inside, St. Francis, 2 Feb 2019

[pintogermane]

What would you pick right now as an answer?

• murdered by someone unknown to her
• murdered by someone known
• death by vehicle malfunction
• death by misadventure
• suicide

Misadventure ("an unfortunate incident; a mishap") sounds tempting, but what?

Think someone known killed her? That's tempting to choose as well. Likely.

To suicide in this manner - unfathomable, but sometimes things wind up being just that.

 

[Wagtales10]

Suicide or Known killer are the most likely by far.

 

[Hap]

Dying in a burning car? That would not be my choice for death by suicide.....

 

[Wagtales10]

Dying in a burning car? That would not be my choice for death by suicide.....

Woman found dead in trunk committed suicide
"The Medical Examiner Sunday ruled that the cause of death of a woman whose body was found inside the trunk of a Toyota Camry more than two months ago was suicide."


Anna Oung: Woman found dead in car trunk 'committed suicide because of postpartum psychosis' | Daily Mail Online
"A woman whose body was found in the trunk of her car by her husband killed herself after suffering from 'postpartum psychosis' three months since the birth of her first child, police believe."


Police: Woman who died in trunk in Irvine committed suicide – Orange County Register
" Police on Thursday said the death of a 29-year-old Long Beach woman whose body was found in the trunk of her own car was a suicide, with family members telling investigators that she was suffering from “postpartum psychosis.”


FBI rules Montana woman found shot dead in trunk in Spokane was an elaborate suicide
The FBI announced Thursday that the shooting of a Montana woman, who was found dead in the trunk of a car in Spokane last year, was a suicide.


https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Santa-Rosa-police-say-Stanford-student-crawled-3289366.php
"A Stanford University graduate student committed suicide by ingesting sleeping pills before getting into the trunk of her car, which was found at a North Bay community college, Santa Rosa police have concluded in ruling out foul play."

 

[Eleanor Rigby]

In this car suicide scenario, KR would have set her car on fire and then killed herself by some means--pills, poison, gunshot, etc., or sat and waited to die from smoke / fatal burns?

 

[nancygraceless]

Dying in a burning car? That would not be my choice for death by suicide.....

What would be your choice?

 

[kay74]

Misadventure ("an unfortunate incident; a mishap") sounds tempting, but what?

Think someone known killed her? That's tempting to choose as well. Likely.

To suicide in this manner - unfathomable, but sometimes things wind up being just that.

murdered by someone unknown to her.

 

[human]

murdered by someone unknown to her.

I am curious as to how you think it happenrd. How did the person leave the scene of the crime?

 

[kay74]

I am curious as to how you think it happenrd. How did the person leave the scene of the crime?

I think it was 2 people and one followed in a car, either one of them or her (made her drive) drove into the secluded driveway, grabbed her money, shot her and set it on fire. I'm thinking she went inside a gas station didn't lock her car and someone got into the back seat. She looked like a target, a woman all alone.

 

[human]

I think it was 2 people and one followed in a car, either one of them or her (made her drive) drove into the secluded driveway, grabbed her money, shot her and set it on fire. I'm thinking she went inside a gas station didn't lock her car and someone got into the back seat. She looked like a target, a woman all alone.

Could be but most women don’t carry much money, do they?

 

[Skylark6]

Seems they're stymied.

What would you pick right now as an answer?

• murdered by someone unknown to her
• murdered by someone known
• death by vehicle malfunction
• death by misadventure
• suicide

At this point, IMHO, I lean towards someone known.

Also, with how frequently she traveled to these games, there are multiple people who may have known her route. Viewing a game schedule, it would also be easy to estimate when she would be in the area. Allowing for some level of advanced planning. Essentially...some predictable behavior those she knew would be aware of.

 

[Eleanor Rigby]

Could be but most women don’t carry much money, do they?

I think that is generally true, especially for older professional women who can easily obtain credit and debit cards. Also, IMO and my experience, women teachers aren't in the habit of carrying much cash because there are usually not secure places in a classroom to keep your purse. So anyone who knew she was a teacher probably wouldn't choose her if the motive was a robbery for cash. The best female victims for a cash robbery IMO would be those in vulnerable situations--sex workers, workers who get a lot of cash tips or are paid in cash, and undocumented workers. MOO.

 

[Joe Friday]

I think it was 2 people and one followed in a car, either one of them or her (made her drive) drove into the secluded driveway, grabbed her money, shot her and set it on fire. I'm thinking she went inside a gas station didn't lock her car and someone got into the back seat. She looked like a target, a woman all alone.

That's a great theory, but how do you explain the six hours in time between when Kathleen should have arrived at the school to watch the game and when the car was reported on fire?

 

[kay74]

Could be but most women don’t carry much money, do they?

I have no idea. The perps could have thought she had money. I think people that do this go for any money. Scary. Could have even seen her open her wallet in the gas station, who knows.

 

[kay74]

That's a great theory, but how do you explain the six hours in time between when Kathleen should have arrived at the school to watch the game and when the car was reported on fire?

Good question. That's the part I can't explain.

 

[Hap]

What would be your choice?

Sleeping pills? or perhaps drowning? Not pleasant to contemplate my demise!

 

[Curiousobserver]

In this car suicide scenario, KR would have set her car on fire and then killed herself by some means--pills, poison, gunshot, etc., or sat and waited to die from smoke / fatal burns?

She may have popped some pills and decided to have one last cigarette- She may have dropped it on the seat. The fire may not have even been intentional. We just don't know; this case has nothing to sleuth.

 

[murgadrot]

My speculation only - we know she beat cancer a few years back, IIRC. What if the cancer returned and she didn't want to go through it again, so ended it. Maybe she didn't tell her family that the cancer returned, and even LE may not have access to her medical records (yet). They would not know from the autopsy either. I personally think foul play was involved but just throwing out another possible theory.

 

[cuttlebone]

Car fire suicides someone linked to earlier in this thread:

Some car fire suicides, mainly 21st c. through 2015

Here are some car fire suicides post-2015, including the last one, a female teacher.

Car fire death ruled a suicide

Man dies after setting himself on fire in car

Schoharie Sheriff: Burning car a result of suicide

Coroner rules suicide after man sets his vehicle on fire north of Boulder

Explosive, body found inside vehicle after car fire

Possible suicide probed after body found in burned vehicle near Darby

Death of 18-year-old found in burning car may have been a suicide

Deadly St. Paul Car Fire Was A Suicide: Police

Macedon Police determine dead body in burning car was suicide

Victim Identified in Fantasia Gardens Car Fire, Apparent Suicide

Coroner: Fatal Lenox car fire was suicide

Why would an Iowa grandmother drive 4 hours to set herself on fire?

 

[EllieGato]

On suicide: one city/town over from me, a few years ago a man drove his car out into the county, placed a piece of garden hose from his exhaust into his window and waited to die. The car was found because it eventually burst into flames. They believe he was dead hours before the car caught fire. Not sure if it was from parking over leaves or what. Trying to find the newspaper article.