The Seattle Times
November 25, 2007 Sunday
Fourth Edition
ROP ZONE; Local News; Pg. B1
693 words
Lack of answers haunts family of ex-WSU star;
Remains expected back Monday - Relatives don't believe it was suicide
Christina Siderius, Seattle Times staff reporter
The ashes of Tony Harris are expected to arrive in Seattle on Monday from Brazil, where the former Washington State University basketball star's body was found after he went missing there earlier this month.
But family members, who gathered to talk about Harris at his mother's home in South Seattle on Saturday, say the cremated remains won't bring them any closure only more questions.
His mother, Ophelia Harris, of Seattle, is asking how officials could believe her son the pride of the Central Seattle neighborhood where he grew up committed suicide. Brazilian authorities have said suicide was the most likely cause of his death.
His younger brother, Germaine Harris, who believes the death was a homicide, is asking why the investigation ended. His brother was in trouble, and he had told his wife he was in danger before he was last heard from Nov. 4.
"If my brother was going to hang himself, why did he have to go to Brazil to do that?" he said.
They all wonder why there are no answers or hope of answers.
"There is no way we're going to buy this was suicide," said cousin Timothy Robinson, of Seattle. "The best way to get closure is knowing why."
Harris had played basketball in Brazil several years ago, and, at the time, he was having an affair with his coach's wife, his family said Saturday. Harris moved home to the Seattle area when the coach stopped paying him, they said.
He went back to Brazil this year on Oct. 31 to play for a different team in the same organization, amid rumors and "bad blood" left over from his previous stay in the South American country, his family said. They said he feared for his life before he disappeared. Harris' current team is owned by the same organization, but it has a different coach.
His wife, Lori Harris, in a previous interview, said he told her he was possibly at risk after only a few days in Brazil's capital, and he wanted to come home.
Last Sunday, Brazilian authorities found a body, with a shoelace around the neck, at a secluded site that was miles from any road. Days later, it was identified as Harris' body through dental records.
Last Sunday would have been Harris' 37th birthday.
His body was so badly decomposed the medical examiner was unable to determine a cause of death, a U.S. embassy official said.
"We found the body, but no answers," said Brian Stewart, who calls himself Harris' "brother." The two grew up together, went to Garfield High School and later to Washington State University, where Harris led the Cougars to the NCAA tournament in 1994.
The family was told by U.S. government officials after Harris' body was found that the United States did not have jurisdiction. Officials said they wished they could do more but they couldn't.
"And that's what we're left with," said Stewart.
Ophelia Harris, whose living room was filled with flowers, cards and pictures of Harris, wore a T-shirt with her son's picture that read "In loving memory of my son."
"Nobody will ever know how empty I feel," his mother said. "He will be very well missed in my heart."
When Harris was growing up, his mother worked at the post office, and Harold Russell, the man he called father, worked for a grocery chain. Harris loved hanging out with his three brothers and sister, she said.
Harris used to attach a hoop to the light pole on the street corner to play basketball. He dropped out of high school for a year, and it was because of basketball that he went back.
During the Washington State years, his mother would stand up and scream, "That's my son that's my baby!" when he made shots at college games.
When he came home to visit in Seattle, she would host a big barbecue and invite the whole neighborhood. Everyone was proud of him, she said.
Harris played overseas for a few years before his first stint in Brazil. For the past few years, Harris, who had a 14-year-old son from a previous relationship, worked various jobs doing yardwork for his uncle and later working at a juvenile detention center. In 2005, he married Lori Harris, who is expecting their child next month.
A memorial for Harris will be Friday in Seattle, although the family has not settled on a church.
Christina Siderius: 206-464-2112
photo; Courtesy of the family : Tony Harris and his mother, Ophelia, shown in a photo from his 2005 wedding album. (0403665632)
November 26, 2007
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