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

[The Night Watchman]

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?

Suicide by fire of this particular victim seems improbable to me. No way.

If a murderer kills someone and leaves the victim in a car, the car is often torched to remove forensic evidence. I wondered if she was dumped there hours before and the perp returned to torch the car as an afterthought. Something happened in those 6 hours.

 

[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.

While this could account some of the missing time, I don't lean towards suicide in this case... but yes its possible.

 

[Gardenista]

Was Kathleen a smoker?

 

[cuttlebone]

Suicide by fire of this particular victim seems improbable to me. No way.

If a murderer kills someone and leaves the victim in a car, the car is often torched to remove forensic evidence. I wondered if she was dumped there hours before and the perp returned to torch the car as an afterthought. Something happened in those 6 hours.

You use the word "often" - any links to back this up?

 

[The Night Watchman]

You use the word "often" - any links to back this up?

No. You can use “might be” instead.

 

[Joe Friday]

You use the word "often" - any links to back this up?

No. You can use “might be” instead.

It is no secret that fire is often used to try and cover up evidence. Perps leave their victims in cars and houses and set them on fire in hopes of not being caught.

You don't have to search very hard to find plenty of cases. Click here to see set car on fire to cover up murder - Google Search

 

[cuttlebone]

It is no secret that fire is often used to try and cover up evidence. Perps leave their victims in cars and houses and set them on fire in hopes of not being caught.

You don't have to search very hard to find plenty of cases. Click here to see set car on fire to cover up murder - Google Search

Thanks for the link, took a long look, and by no stretch does it happen "often." More frequent than car fire suicides? Yes. But often? No. It's relatively rare that a vehicle is torched to cover up a crime.

 

[Joe Friday]

Thanks for the link, took a long look, and by no stretch does it happen "often." More frequent than car fire suicides? Yes. But often? No. It's relatively rare that a vehicle is torched to cover up a crime.

Is it your opinion that it's relatively rare that a vehicle is torched to cover up a crime or do you have a link to back this up?

 

[diggndeeperstill]

The statistics of this method of suicide being discussed are VERY small. .6% in fact. All the links shared only show it DOES happen. But .6% of the time. Suicide method statistics in the USA | Lost All Hope: The web's leading suicide

 

[cuttlebone]

Is it your opinion that it's relatively rare that a vehicle is torched to cover up a crime or do you have a link to back this up?

I provided a link to information someone had posted earlier in this thread about one of the theories, suicide, then added another dozen examples - links - of car fire suicides since 2015, above. I scrolled through about a hundred articles based on the "here, read this" link you provided, and noted that torching vehicles to cover up major crimes seems to be uncommon. I await confirmation that setting vehicles alight is a frequent occurrence, and not merely an anecdotal one.

 

[MyBelle]

I provided a link to information someone had posted earlier in this thread about one of the theories, suicide, then added another dozen examples - links - of car fire suicides since 2015, above. I scrolled through about a hundred articles based on the "here, read this" link you provided, and noted that torching vehicles to cover up major crimes seems to be uncommon. I await confirmation that setting vehicles alight is a frequent occurrence, and not merely an anecdotal one.

vehicles are torched to cover up evidence such as DNA of the perp.

So You Think You Can Destroy Evidence With Fire

 

[EllieGato]

I still think it could possibly fall under gang activity in the end. Every state has it's own definition. Where I live, all it takes is (in my own shortened version)

...three or more people (a drug dealer and his 2 right hand men) that have a pre established association with a common associative trait (a name or handshake) who take part in organized criminal activity (a carjacking to pick up drugs or murder the competitive drug dealer over in the neighboring town) with a common incentive of protecting or enriching their association. And I guess what I'm thinking is that it could actually have been 3 people.

Edited to say: three or more, or I could have said "more than 2 people" whichever you prefer

Sorry

 

[pintogermane]

..

 

[LarkBunting]

Was Kathleen a smoker?

I doubt it.

 

[Detectivediva]

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?

Here's another to add...a teacher I worked with many years ago...

Cripple Creek mourns death of longtime teacher

She had over 35 years in and retired. Went to visit her brother near Chicago. We heard she committed suicide by pouring kerosene over herself and setting herself on fire in her brothers' basement. She taught kindergarten (for many years initially) and I was mad at her for the longest time because of the way she did it (because the poor kids who worshipped their kindergarten teacher would have to think about that). It was very shocking to all of us and they offered counseling to the staff when we returned after break. I've since learned that suicide is something none of us can really understand and obviously people are in a bad mental place when the make their decision so no judgement.

On a side note this is very close to the town(s) related to Kelsey Berreth (for those following that case).

 

[cluciano63]

I do not feel like Kathleen is a suicide...and I often do lean that way, as suicide to me often seems more a personal decision than a rash act...and though they happen in every way imaginable, her circumstance fit less, to me, than others that caused skepticism to many people. Of course there may have been something happening in her life that was too much for her face...we can’t know. I do hope it is clarified soon to stop speculation either way.

 

[PayrollNerd]

This isn’t a suicide. I stand firm with my belief that a known suspect and possibly, an unknown suspect, for that element of surprise, intervened in her travels. Mom was going to her own birthday celebration. She was anticipating a lot of love, attention, fun, etc. Her children, grandchildren and possibly other close family/friends were too. Now, think about who wasn’t invited? Who nobody wanted there because they presented a polar opposite to what everyone was anticipating? Someone angry, aggressive, vindictive, maybe even delusional. Someone with the strength and resources to overpower her, change her route, intelligence to plan foul play, act on it, torture or hold her against her will until they felt sufficient punishment had been meted out, then poof! burn the evidence. My opinion only of course. May this family find peace in her spirit and the sweet memories they have of her.

 

[Joe Friday]

This isn’t a suicide. I stand firm with my belief that a known suspect and possibly, an unknown suspect, for that element of surprise, intervened in her travels. Mom was going to her own birthday celebration. She was anticipating a lot of love, attention, fun, etc. Her children, grandchildren and possibly other close family/friends were too. Now, think about who wasn’t invited? Who nobody wanted there because they presented a polar opposite to what everyone was anticipating? Someone angry, aggressive, vindictive, maybe even delusional. Someone with the strength and resources to overpower her, change her route, intelligence to plan foul play, act on it, torture or hold her against her will until they felt sufficient punishment had been meted out, then poof! burn the evidence. My opinion only of course. May this family find peace in her spirit and the sweet memories they have of her.

I never read anything about someone not being invited or not wanted at Kathleen's birthday celebration because of the reason you stated. Where did you read that?

 

[PayrollNerd]

I never read anything about someone not being invited or not wanted at Kathleen's birthday celebration because of the reason you stated. Where did you read that?

I didn’t, its my theory as to what could have happened, as I stated “Now, think about......” Posing questions get people to think.

 

[Wagtales10]

I doubt it.

based on?