Anyone in Montana? Need help please

**FrugalWitch** · 09-13-2007, 02:35 PM

OK here's the deal. My best friend's SIL went to Montana with her husband for the funeral of her husband's half-brother. The husband calls the family attorney and says that Theresa (his wife,,,best friend's SIL) ODed and died and he wants an inheritance check due to Theresa to be made out in his name instead. Theresa's family has not heard one word from Theresa since she left for Montana. Theresa's husband cancelled both cellphone accounts. Police have gone to Theresa's home, she's not been back.

No one here knows the name of the half-brother who died ( he was related through the mother so his last name is different) we cannot find out what city in Montana Theresa went to. What is known is this:

The half-brother was on his way to the hospital because his wife was having twins. In route he was in a wreck, he was on total life support for a week before the decision was made to remove life support. The funeral was this week.

I am desperately hoping that some TV, radio or newspaper covered the story about the half-brother's wreck. If we can get the half-brother's name we will know what city Theresa was in last.

If anyone has any information, please, please help us find Theresa Richardson (age 39) Her family is absolutely frantic with worry.

**Michelle68** · 09-13-2007, 09:35 PM

FrugalWitch, when did the wreck occur?

--Michelle

**JerryG** · 09-13-2007, 10:00 PM

is the biggest paper in the state. You can find it online. They post for all the cities, big and small. They will cover obits. Try that first

OMG - I am so sorry! I'm from MT - HUGE state

**Michelle68** · 09-13-2007, 10:31 PM

I went online to search engines and to different Montana news sites and couldn't find any stories or obits regarding the half-brother who had been in a wreck. You would think that something like that would've been in the news (man gets in an accident on his way to see his wife who has twins and dies after a week on life support) since it's such a tragic story. Does anyone know anything about Theresa's husband? Does he have any family y'all can contact for any information? I'm sorry her family has to go through this. I can imagine how frantic they are.

--Michelle

**grneyegrl** · 09-13-2007, 10:36 PM

i would contact the lawyer or insurance co..esp insurance co... they will do anything to not pay money.. as bad as that sounds....there should be a hold/delay in getting a check out...also they need a death cert.. also did she take any meds or abuse substances in any way...if not speak up.... he has to produce a death cert to get death benefits

**FrugalWitch** · 09-14-2007, 04:12 PM

Hey ya'll. Thanks for all the replies. We don't have the half-brother's name to search for an obit with. No search turned up an obit for Theresa, but given what is known (and currently suspected) about her husband no one really expected he would have or allow an obit for her to be published.

Police in NY (where he and Theresa live) say that he contacted his next-door neighbor yesterday to ask how his dogs are doing ( the neighbor is petsitting) and said he would "be home tomorrow" (today)The message was left on the answering machine and the police listened to the message. He never mentioned Theresa at all, and used the singular pronouns "I, me, mine" throughout the message instead of "we, us, our"

NY police said they would most definately be rounding him up for questioning when he arrives home today. I'll update you when I hear more.

(PS) He won't be able to touch a dime if Theresa is indeed dead. Since she supposedly died before the check was cut, her portion would automatically revert back to the estate and go to her surviving sister Tammy. (best friend's wife) Of course he will still need to produce a death certificate in any event.

**jenray** · 09-14-2007, 04:53 PM

I would check the major cities in Montana- which are few: Helena, Missoula, Great Falls, Kalispell, Bozeman, Billings, Havre; the rest of the state is mostly small towns.

A few newspaper names:
Helena Independent Record
The Missoulian
Great Falls Tribune
Billing Gazzette
Havre Daily Herald

Hope you come up with something. What a tragic story.

**FrugalWitch** · 09-19-2007, 02:12 PM

Well, Theresa is indeed dead. Police questioned her husband when he arrived back home in NY. He had a death certificate and an autopsy report. To this day he still has not contacted Theresa's family or any of her friends to inform them of her death.

She died of heart failure due to an overdose of heroin. Both she and her husband were/are (apparently) recovering addicts. However, Theresa has supposedly been clean for over two years, she had never been to Montana before, thus how would she know where to purchase? Her husband however, was from there and had connections. He left her body laying in a morgue drawer in Montana btw. He will not let her family have the body.

I hope her family hits him with a wrongful death lawsuit, imagine calling an attorney to get an inheritance check changed less than 6 hours after your spouse dies?

My thanks to everyone who tried to help us search, and for everyone's prayers and support.