Teleka Patrick, 33, Missing Kalamazoo Mi since Dec 5, 2013

[Nut44x4]

 

[MuffyBee]

Even though Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller says Teleka Patrick died of accidental drowning, I personally don't think it was an accident.  It wouldn't surprise me if the case is reopened in the future as a homicide.  JMHO

[grace-land]

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/04/teleka_patrick_case_4_things_w.html

Teleka Patrick case: 6 things we know and 4 questions still unanswered
on April 10, 2014 at 6:30 AM, updated April 10, 2014 at 7:52 AM

 
4 unanswered questions

1. What was Patrick's mental state the night of Dec. 5?
It now appears Patrick may have had longstanding mental-health issues dating back to her college years. It's also apparent she successfully kept those issues largely hidden from family and friends.

Indeed, most people knew Patrick as a brilliant, high-functioning professional. The same week she disappeared, she received a glowing mid-year evaluation about her psychiatric residency.

According to her ex-husband in California, Patrick was fearful a diagnosis of mental illness would undermine her career. He said she refused to seek treatment for symptoms that included hearing voices and paranoia.

"Teleka appeared to be troubled, but she managed to hide those troubles very convincingly," Fuller said Wednesday.

On the night she disappeared, officials have said, there's evidence she was in mental distress and that may have led to her decision to leave Kalamazoo on the night of Dec. 5.

But the fact is, said Detective Sgt. William Sparrow, the lead investigator in the case, "We don't know what she was thinking" and how that might have contributed to events that night.

On the Find Teleka Facebook page, family members posted Wednesday: "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.

2. Why did Patrick walk away from the highway after her car went off the road?
Before the body was found Sunday, the conventional wisdom among police officials was that Patrick likely walked toward the highway after ditching her car.

Exit 22 off I-94 is visible from where Patrick's car went off the road, and it also was plausible that Patrick hitched a ride along the heavily traveled highway.

By contrast, Lake Charles is separated from I-94 by a four-foot wire fence topped with barbed wire designed to keep wildlife from running onto the road.

Sparrow and Fuller said Wednesday it's not clear why Patrick headed toward the woods and how she got over or through the fence.

"There are all kinds of possibilities" on why she went away from the highway, Fuller said.

One possibility: She may have been drawn by the lights at two truck stops on a service road on the other side of the woods.

As for the fence: "I'm not doing to speculate on how she got through the fence, over the fence or around the fence," Fuller said.

3. Why did a bloodhound tracked Patrick's scent to the highway instead of the woods?
A bloodhound brought in on Dec. 12 by the Indiana State Police tracked Patrick's scent from the location to the car to the highway's edge, and did that twice.

The dog's handler told the Kalamazoo Gazette in January that he had high confidence in the dog's ability.

It's not clear why the dog didn't track Patrick to the woods, Fuller said Wednesday.

4. How did Patrick end up in the pond?
It was a dark night, and the pond is surrounded by an earth berm and considerable brush, Fuller said.

It's possible that Patrick walked over the berm, not realizing what was on the other side, and then stumbled down the steep slope into the water, Fuller said.

"It's very rough terrain," he said.

However, while the pond has a maximum depth of 21 feet, it's not that sudden of a drop-off -- Patrick's body was found in 3 feet of water.

So it's unclear why Patrick didn't quickly pull herself out of the water.

Fuller did not know if Patrick could swim.

Fuller and Sparrow said some aspects of the case will remain unknown, but finding the body at least ends the mystery about Patrick's whereabouts.

"Hopefully this will offer some closure," Fuller said at the press conference. "Our hearts go out to the Patrick family."

[grace-land]

http://posttrib.suntimes.com/26743371-537/ex-husband-says-patricks-death-a-tragedy.html

Ex-husband says Patrick’s death a tragedy
April 9, 2014 11:12PM
Updated: April 10, 2014 2:03AM
 
Teleka Patrick’s ex-husband, Ismael Calderon, said Wednesday he was saddened and in a state of shock to hear investigators had confirmed it was Patrick’s body discovered Sunday in Lake Charles in Porter

“There’s still a lot of unanswered questions, like how it happened,” said Calderon, 36, a member of the support staff for the Center of Excellence in Earth Systems Modeling and Observations at Chapman University in Orange, Calif.

“Regardless, this is a tragedy to find her dead. I just can’t see how she could have fallen into a lake.”
 
In the weeks after her disappearance, Calderon said he believed that either she was dead or being held against her will. Noting that results of an autopsy on Patrick are still preliminary, Calderon said he hopes investigators can definitively rule out foul play.

“The most important thing at this juncture is focusing on the memory of Teleka and consoling her family, and the more mundane thing of having researchers do what they can for a more comprehensive autopsy,” he said.

He finds it particularly difficult to understand how and why she ended up in the lake and was unable to get out. She knew how to swim, he said, because they often went swimming while they lived in Corona, Calif.

“My heart goes out to the family. I’m in shock that she would have drowned in this manner, unless her state of mind was very fragile. I don’t know how this could turn out this way,” he said.

Calderon said he is “unsatisfied” with the answers in the mystery that surrounded Patrick’s death so far, and added more needs to be done to fill in the unknowns.

“This is a tragedy no matter what,” he said.

[MuffyBee]

Thank you for posting the informative article, grace-land. 

It's really sad if Teleka was afraid to seek help for her mental health issues as her ex-husband reported.  I don't find it surprising though. There is such a stigma in this country concerning mental illness.  For so long, insurance didn't cover it the same as physical illnesses.  Sometimes treatment can be difficult and expensive and there's still a long way to go with educating the public.  And of course, there's the stigma.     I wonder how many folks end up homeless or in prison due to untreated or undiagnosed mental illness? 

 

[grace-land]

Thank you for posting the informative article, grace-land. 

It's really sad if Teleka was afraid to seek help for her mental health issues as her ex-husband reported.  I don't find it surprising though. There is such a stigma in this country concerning mental illness.  For so long, insurance didn't cover it the same as physical illnesses.  Sometimes treatment can be difficult and expensive and there's still a long way to go with educating the public.  And of course, there's the stigma.     I wonder how many folks end up homeless or in prison due to untreated or undiagnosed mental illness? 

 

You're welcome, MuffyBee.

In my area, too many people go untreated/undiagnosed because of lack of insurance, lack of mental health facilities, and stigma. Also, cuts in the budget have made the matter worse.  So sad.  They need help desperately in my opinion.
   

[grace-land]

http://www.wzzm13.com/story/news/crime/2014/04/12/second-autopsy-performed-on-teleka-patrick/7636579/

Second autopsy performed on Teleka Patrick
6:52 p.m. EDT April 12, 2014

MARION COUNTY, Indiana (WZZM) -- The private investigator hired by the family of Teleka Patrick says he was present Friday as a second autopsy was conducted on the body of the deceased doctor.

The two-hour procedure was performed in Marion County, Indiana by a forensic pathologist. Private investigator Jim Carlin of Battle Creek says the second autopsy did a much better job of confirming the findings of the first autopsy.

Both autopsies concluded Patrick's death was the result of drowning. The first autopsy on Teleka Patrick was conducted in Porter County, Indiana.
 
Carlin says arrangements are being made to fly the body of Teleka Patrick to Orlando, Florida where her parents live. A burial will be held on April 25.

[Sister]

drowning does not equal suicide.

too many unanswered questions.

[texasmom]

http://www.waldonfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Teleka-Patrick/#!/Obituary

Obituary for Dr. Teleka Cassandra Patrick

Teleka Cassandra Patrick was born to Pastor Mattahais and Irene Patrick on September 18, 1983 at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. She was the prayed for child, so delicately and wonderfully formed by God, and delivered by Dr. Lennox Westney. She spent her first two years in Hyattsville, Maryland before relocating to Queens, New York where she grew up with her parents and two siblings, Matthias (Eddie) and Tenesha.

Teleka was tender-hearted, loving and lively from the beginning and she shared many happy days with her parents, siblings, cousins and friends. Her early years were rich with travels, church trips, school trips and family fun times. She learned to play the piano and violin at an early age and attended numerous recitals at music schools, church and family special events, nursing homes, concert halls and other places with her siblings. She gained many valuable lessons during her violin training at the Music Institute of Long Island (and at the piano studio), receiving several certificates and awards in instrumental music. These performances of love and kindness planted in Teleka the seeds of caring, sharing, devotion to others, and inspired her to want to become a missionary.

She began reading at age two and a half, and her love for books resulted in her becoming an avid reader. Her parents nurtured her early quest for learning and therefore enrolled her in Kindergarten at PS 147 Ronald McNair School in Queens, New York. Throughout her elementary school years, 1989 to 1996 at Linden SDA School, she excelled in academics and extracurricular activities. She received awards for reading, spelling, math, science, marathons, talent shows, and she earned her way on the Principal’s List each year. Teleka won the Semper Paratus Annual Spelling Bee award for three consecutive years, the Greater Metropolitan New York Math Fair award, and the Northeastern Conference of Education Science Award in 1995. She matriculated from Linden SDA School with highest honors.

Teleka again excelled and obtained awards for math, Spanish and biology during her years at the Bronx High School. In 1997-1998 she was listed in Who’s Who among American High School Students, and in 2000 she received the following awards: Elspeth Krober Award for Biology Research; Bronx High School of Science Research - St. John’s Symposium; Physical Science Journal “Reactions,” and Excellence in the Study of Spanish. Her strength in the sciences bolstered her decision to become a medical research scientist. Thus began her matriculation at Oakwood College (now Oakwood University) in the Fall of 2000.

Teleka diligently pursued her academic goals at Oakwood University and earned her Bachelor’s Degrees in Theology and Biology in 2004. Additionally, she earned the Oakwood College Scholastic Award for three consecutive years and the Oakwood College United Student Movement: USM Senator Award for 2000-2001.

Embarking on college life away from her siblings, Teleka renewed connections with God and formed new connections with college mates. One of her journal entries reads: “My fundamental presupposition about life is that God is most important. That I should please Him in my living is my perspective, based on that presupposition. Accordingly, prayer, Bible study and witnessing are priorities in my life.” Further, she added, “My image of God is rich. He is a loving, merciful, accepting, and benevolent Father. He loves me so much. That’s why he takes care of me every day. He is also a high and exalted God who should be worshipped – just because He is God.” She also said, “Thanks God, that I belong to You. J There are lots of words to say and I don’t know which ones will make your day – But I’m just a little kid – a little girl – a little squirt – a little tot – in awe of You, Lord. Love Ya! J xoxo”

A friend reflecting on his college years with Teleka writes, “We would talk about everything: theology, assignments, relationships, future plans, etc. I was having a really hard time that year. I had a bad case of senioritis and was going through some really difficult personal issues. I wasn’t handling things well and was having my worst semester academically and socially. Yet those walks and talks were like water to my soul. She only sought to encourage me and lift me up. And that’s exactly what she did. I’m certain she helped me more than I helped her.”
Teleka began her graduate studies at Loma Linda University in June 2004 where she completed research on Neonatal Hypoxia-Ischemia and Survival Disparity among African American Women with Breast Cancer, the latter being her research focus. Her journey was long and sometimes bumpy but she persevered to accomplish her goal of a medical degree and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. She received funding for her research from the Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine, as well as from the National Institutes of Health. Her passion to become a child psychiatrist took her to Western Michigan University School of Medicine. Her time there was cut short by her untimely death.

Teleka was compassionate, encouraging and always offered a positive outlook on any situation. She was good-natured, peaceful, good-humored, and generous. We will miss her beautiful smile, warm personality and sound wisdom which she shared liberally with others. She leaves her parents, siblings, grandfather and a host of uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, church family and acquaintances to mourn our loss, to cherish her memory, and to continue her legacy of caring.

Teleka is now sleeping in Jesus until we meet again!

Services are entrusted to WALDON Professional Funeral & Cremation Services which is located at 710 Lexington Green Lane in Sanford, Florida.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that you please donate to their legal expense fund. Send donations to the following address:
Mattahais & Irene Patrick
P.O. Box 450812
Kissimmee, Florida 34745-0812


Kristy M. Waldon, MBA
Funeral Director in Charge



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[texasmom]

More pictures at the link:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154069609915175.1073741827.844260174&type=1&stream_ref=10

Kofi McKoy
Yesterday
rememberTeleka (51 photos)
#rememberTeleka

[MuffyBee]

Rest in Peace
 

[Sister]

Rest in Peace
 

Indeed.

 

[texasmom]

https://www.facebook.com/RememberTeleka/posts/635040046613452

Remember Teleka
16 mins ·

Today would have been Teleka's 31st birthday. Join us in remembering all that she was- her laugh, her crazy dance moves, her words of counsel, her brilliance. Teleka ‪#‎rememberteleka‬

[MuffyBee]

https://www.facebook.com/RememberTeleka/posts/635040046613452

Remember Teleka
16 mins ·

Today would have been Teleka's 31st birthday. Join us in remembering all that she was- her laugh, her crazy dance moves, her words of counsel, her brilliance. Teleka ‪#‎rememberteleka‬

Remembering Teleka.