Found Deceased MO - Raffaella Maria Stroik, 23, Monroe Co, 12 Nov 2018

[GraceG]

The St. Louis Ballet company has a beautiful Bible verse and a comforting message on her dancer page. She will be sorely missed it appears.

 

[jash]

Is anyone here familiar enough with the lake to understand how easy it would be to slip/fall in? I would find it unlikely, however, that she couldn't swim. It's such a stretch of the imagination for me to think of how one would do so, and not just simply get back out, barring a long drop into the lake, etc.

I found these images on Google maps. It's possible she walked out on the dock.



Google Maps

 

[moonriverfarm]

That lake doesn't look very deep at this point. I wonder what really happened.

 

[holtzmann]

oh, and to whoever suggested an abductor may have called a taxi or uber.......ummmm, NO!!!! LOL Sorry but those things don't exist for at least 30 miles from the location of her vehicle.

No need to be rude. Obviously I'm not from the area. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[kelsie]

Raffaella Maria Stroik, missing ballerina, found dead in rural Missouri lake - CNN

There were no immediate signs of foul play, but the investigation into her death is still ongoing, Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Eric Brown told reporters.
An autopsy has been set for Thursday, Brown said.

 

[Indyannie]

How would they be able to discern if this was an accident vs. suicide? It seems like she was planning to return to her car.

 

[fridaybaker]

How would they be able to discern if this was an accident vs. suicide? It seems like she was planning to return to her car.

I wonder what she was wearing when they found her, such as a "jacket with pockets, where one could keep keys". Otherwise, yes, why place them on the front tire.

If she did have a place to put the keys on her person (and, wouldn't she have been wearing a jacket considering the weather?), then her placing the keys on the front tire seems to say she left them there for someone to find. Sadly, if she were able to take the keys with her and left them at the car for someone to find, I think we all know what that indicates.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

O/T - I have no idea how she died. We are all waiting for more information. But... I am intrigued when people don't want to believe suicide. Does part of us want to think that being killed by someone else is somehow better than suicide? Or is it that we want to believe it was an accident... because that is better than the other 2 options... that's probably it.

Please... remember that there is no suicide script. People who seemingly have everything (outwardly) going for them and don't want for anything else... People who just got a promotion, just had a baby, just got married, just bought groceries, just prepared dinner, just made reservations for a trip to Bali, just got off the phone with their sister, just bought a new house... it can be any of those people.

Love each other. Communicate. Be involved outside of ourselves...

 

[Breezie]

UPDATE: Local pilot who found missing St. Louis woman's body speaks out

MSHP said there is no evidence of foul play at this time. MSHP also said there is no danger to the public.

 

[momof2wats]

No need to be rude. Obviously I'm not from the area. Thanks for the clarification.

I'm sorry my reply was in no way intended to be rude. Sorry I meant no harm sometimes things aren't properly communicated via internet...I guess this was one of them.

 

[Breezie]

St. Clair County dance academy remembers ballerina as a ‘very patient’ ballet teacher

Her students fondly remembered their teacher as happy, poised, classy and beautiful.

"We hope you are dancing among the stars," said Vitale as she made remarks during the vigil.

“She was patient with us," said Stancil, "it was a blessing to have her here.”

Their tears and emotions were a true expression of how much Rafaella is loved and will be forever missed.

 

[cybervampira]

O/T - I have no idea how she died. We are all waiting for more information. But... I am intrigued when people don't want to believe suicide. Does part of us want to think that being killed by someone else is somehow better than suicide? Or is it that we want to believe it was an accident... because that is better than the other 2 options... that's probably it.

Please... remember that there is no suicide script. People who seemingly have everything (outwardly) going for them and don't want for anything else... People who just got a promotion, just had a baby, just got married, just bought groceries, just prepared dinner, just made reservations for a trip to Bali, just got off the phone with their sister, just bought a new house... it can be any of those people.

Love each other. Communicate. Be involved outside of ourselves...

^^^^^
THIS!

 

[Breezie]

Just thinking out loud here, but the fact that she appears to be a devout Catholic makes it a little less likely (but certainly still a possibility) that she committed suicide.


Church attendance linked with reduced suicide risk, especially for Catholics, study says - Los Angeles Times

It would be a comfort to her Catholic family if it was an accident.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

It would be a comfort to her Catholic family if it was an accident.

Yes, it would. But if it's not that, I do hope the family can get the help they may need to come to terms with what may have happened and why.

 

[momof2wats]

Here is an aerial pic if the area to show how rural it is here. I am trying to post some other pics to give you a better idea but having a hard time. But will keep trying

 

[stereopticons]

O/T - I have no idea how she died. We are all waiting for more information. But... I am intrigued when people don't want to believe suicide. Does part of us want to think that being killed by someone else is somehow better than suicide? Or is it that we want to believe it was an accident... because that is better than the other 2 options... that's probably it.

Please... remember that there is no suicide script. People who seemingly have everything (outwardly) going for them and don't want for anything else... People who just got a promotion, just had a baby, just got married, just bought groceries, just prepared dinner, just made reservations for a trip to Bali, just got off the phone with their sister, just bought a new house... it can be any of those people.

Love each other. Communicate. Be involved outside of ourselves...

Thank you for this. It is extremely difficult for someone to accept that a loved one (using this term loosely) took their own life. But it happens far too often. Check on your friends and family, especially the ones who seem to have it together. They may not be able to ask for help.

 

[holtzmann]

Here is an aerial pic if the area to show how rural it is here. I am trying to post some other pics to give you a better idea but having a hard time. But will keep trying

Thank you for this! One thing I like about this site is that we all have the common goal of respect for each other and the missing.

 

[cluciano63]

Here is an aerial pic if the area to show how rural it is here. I am trying to post some other pics to give you a better idea but having a hard time. But will keep trying

I so much agree. Am always puzzled that folks seem to disbelieve what appear to be suicides in “preference” of foul play. As painful as it is, I would like to think my loved had made their own decision rather than being brutally killed by another. And would hope to learn from it, and maybe help others suffering with suicidal ideas. But we as a whole still too often hide these deaths as shameful, and yet it is such a high manner of death in the US. Jmo

 

[fridaybaker]

The reason Catholics hope their loved ones haven't commited suicide is because it is highly possible that a person who does so will not escape Hell. Of course, no earthly being knows for sure the final disposition of a soul. However, if a person commits a mortal sin without repentence, Catholic theology states that person goes to Hell. A mortal sin is constituted by three parts: Grave Matter (taking one's life would be one); Full Knowledge (one is aware that this is a grave sin); and Deliberate Consent (fully and freely determines to do so.)

Certainly, not all people who commit suicide would be engaging in all three of these. Nevertheless, Catholics are taught that suicide is extremely serious, with potentially infinite, disastrous, effects on the soul. This is quite a simplification, as there are many, many other aspects related to such things, such as how it affects the souls of other people, as well as the person's soul who does it.

With regard to "I would like to think my loved one had made their own decision rather than being brutally killed by another", that is contrary to the Catholic position, which is that people aren't free to make such decisions. We are created by God, and are subjects of Him -it's simply not within our purview to decide such things. Moreover, Catholics look at all suffering as an opportunity to join our suffering to His and strive to, with His Grace, be grateful for the opportunity to do so. It's sort of the antithesis of the contemporary culture view (suffering is bad, therefore to be avoided at all costs.) Suffering is really at the very basis of Christianity, because it was though suffering that we have the opportunity for everlasting life! (Our Lord consents to die on the Cross.)

People have very different world views. To Catholics, we hope our loved ones haven't despaired of God's mercy, which is what many people who commit suicide do.

 

[Indyannie]

Truth.