Found Deceased TX - Leanne Bearden, 33, Garden Ridge, 17 Jan 2014 #11

[gingerbread]

This family has had the extra burden of having put all their privates lives online and taking all kinds of hits about their love and intentions for Leanne just to be slammed in the end in trying to reach out to her. I hope the family knows they have set the bar for trying to find/help a missing loved one.
This family is going to go through all stages of grief-we need to keep them in our prayers.

Thank you for sharing your Leanne with us-she has enriched our lives.

I think this says it all, and beautifully. I can't add anything; I just wanted to say thank you.

 

[liltexans]

Why People Commit Suicide

Perhaps it is the perplexing nature of suicide that leads us to one of humanity's old explanatory standbys: diagnosis and categorization. People who are suicidal are usually placed into categories such as "depressed," "psychotic," or "manipulative."

That kind of diagnosing is done with the best intentions, I think, and with some reasonable hope of prevention. It works in some cases. For example, biological abnormalities like organic brain disease, medication reactions, or severe thyroid problems can make someone feel inexplicably suicidal. Problems like these have straightforward answers, and so proper diagnosis is vitally important.

But in the absence of an unequivocal medical diagnosis, categorizing suicidal behavior as something like "depressed" or "manipulative" doesn't explain the problem and generally skirts the real source of suicidal ideation. There is a certain kind of thinking that fuels suicide, and for most of us it is a terribly difficult idea to sit with: suicide is problem-solving behavior. In the mind of someone considering suicide, the act may seem like an expeditious and effective way to eliminate pain.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ironshrink/201109/why-people-commit-suicide

 

[texankitcat]

respectfully (first post) did anyone else notice in the article cited that the homeowner in question did not call til a day after the $20,000 reward was offered?

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/02/...dy-found-blocks-from-where-she-was-last-seen/

Leave no stone unturned as they say.

feeling the deepest sorrow for this loss and deepest respects to all who loved her.

I recall the reward was posted last week, although I don't recall the exact date. Leanne's body was discovered yesterday.

 

[cluciano63]

Just an FYI for anyone coming on...we do not know that she took any meds that could cause side effects...it is just a theory.

 

[Traveler413]

In the same statement, they said they were uncertain about her physical or mental health. So it did sound like maybe they felt something was wrong.

We may never know the true meaning of those family statements. It may be as simple as that they had come to believe that the idea that Leanne may have left without contacting them was at least a slight possibility. And in such a scenario, her physical and mental health would certainly have been compromised. Whether they actually believed in that scenario is another question.

What I believe would be more telling here is whatever evidence or hunch made authorities think she could have left voluntarily. Remember that the family PI combed through dozens of text messages and multiple phone calls Leanne made just before her disappearance and concluded that, according to the San Antonio Express News, that "acquaintances who spoke to her that morning described her as troubled". That, along with other information, gave him the impression that she'd left voluntarily.

And although the police may have bungled the investigation, they were never shy about making public their belief that no foul play was involved from day one. In MB's interview with GRPD Chief O'Conner, she said, "I am going to stand with what I said from the very beginning. There is nothing that leads me to believe that there was foul play at this point." "Other than the "at this point" part, it would seem that "from the beginning" meant that she never waivered in her belief in certain likelihoods from the day Leanne disappeared. The police must have gathered information fairly quickly that suggested she'd left or hurt herself, but we may never know the nature of that evidence. At the end of the interview, when MB said, "Nobody wanted this," Chief O'Conner responded, "But we all knew it was a possibility." That particular possibility was never discussed publicly by authorities, but it sounds as though it was high on their list.

 

[Magdalyn]

I recall the reward was posted last week, although I don't recall the exact date. Leanne's body was discovered yesterday.

You're correct. It appears the original reward (10,000) was posted February 8th.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/our-...ers-with-reward-info-included/225978667593793

 

[RSC]

Thanks for the reply. All of that makes sense, and maybe in hindsight I would read the inconsistencies differently.
If it was staged, I don't think it would have been a stranger.
But I do need to trust that if her family doesn't argue with the announcement it is because they have an understanding that we are not privy to.

Welcome! No, it's not crazy. Staged suicides do happen. A number of us tossed this idea around a lot last night, trying to cover all the bases. I wouldn't want to see someone get away with murder, so I have to hope that the investigation was conducted as if it was homicide, as it should be. Assume nothing.

But the speed of the autopsy and announcement of suicide tells me that there must have been evidence of her intentions early on. I think the family's plea to Leanne and following up on sightings probably came from their hope to reach her before she did it.

I also think that if it was a staged suicide, it wouldn't have been done by a stranger. Why go to all that trouble? But, anything is possible. I just don't want to go in that direction now.

 

[Starry Night]

For Leanne

Camilo Sesto --- Melina - YouTube

An International Light.

 

[LittlePieces]

here is the latest article I can find:

there is a timeline of sorts.

It states in the article that " The discovery came on the heels of a $20,000 reward offered by Bearden's family on Wednesday. " Wednesday February the 12th as shown on the included timeline.

The homeowner (not identified as of yet) called on the 13th.

Link: http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news...nne-Beardens-death-was-suicide-245604711.html

Unless a second paper has been wrong on the key dates.

 

[Lilibet]

But if this had nothing to do with it (and I have no idea, since I don't know where they traveled or anything about their health precautions), perhaps traveling was her "drug" to help deal with depression?

I admit, I don't know a lot about their trip....how were they paying for all of this? Was it something they saved for years for? I just can't imagine being able to pay for two full years of traveling, but then I'm a pretty average person . What did they do before they traveled? Did she hate the 9-5 grind and was more of a free spirit who struggled with being kept to a schedule?

I certainly do think it's possible that traveling was a way of dealing with depression. I've done that. I just meant that if she did take that drug and it caused severe side effects, I don't see how she could have kept up the pace of their trip. I got tired reading the blog! But maybe the thrill of traveling counteracted drug effects, if she was taking it. We'll probably never know.

Yes, they had saved for a couple of years for this trip. I think they worked in corporate sales/marketing jobs. She mentioned early in the blog that getting up really early was easier to do while traveling than while working.

I honestly can't imagine coming back from a trip like that and wanting to go back to life as it was before. After such a high, normal life would be such a dark hole. JMO

 

[mck16]

Has anyone possibly seen any childhood pictures of Leanne?

I saw one on FB when she was Homecoming Queen in high school. Not sure which FB it was though.

 

[liltexans]

Suicide often not preceded by warnings

A close friend of one of my colleagues committed suicide last week. It happened as so many suicides do—out of the blue. A few days earlier, my colleague had spent the day hanging out with her friend, who was relaxed, upbeat, and normal.

Sadly, that’s not uncommon. “Many people who commit suicide do so without letting on they are thinking about it or planning it,” says Dr. Michael Miller, assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

More than 100 Americans commit suicide every day. It’s the tenth leading cause of death overall; third among 15- to 24-year-olds and fourth among 25- to 44-year-olds.

Although some people who commit suicide have an identifiable mental health problem, like depression or addiction, others don’t. Some talk about wanting or planning to kill themselves or give other hints, others don’t. As my colleague Annmarie Dadoly wrote in this blog last year, many suicides are impulsive acts, with the decision to do it being made just minutes or hours before that act.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/suicide-often-not-preceded-by-warnings-201209245331

 

[cluciano63]

So if the homeowner was prompted to search his land after reading about the increased reward...isn't that kind of the point of offering one?

 

[Lilibet]

Thanks for the reply. All of that makes sense, and maybe in hindsight I would read the inconsistencies differently.
If it was staged, I don't think it would have been a stranger.
But I do need to trust that if her family doesn't argue with the announcement it is because they have an understanding that we are not privy to.

BBM

I think your last sentence is the key, because most families are in denial about suicide and would really want murder definitely ruled out. Rebecca Zahau's family is still fighting the determination that she committed suicide, and most people seem to agree with them. So in Leanne's case, I agree that if they don't dispute that it's suicide, they have information we don't.

 

[LittlePieces]

we don't know why the homeowner picked Feb 13 to "search". We don't even know the reason he went to the back part of his property and whether it constituted a search.

Some are perhaps assuming he went to search.

if I have learned anything on this site, it's not to assume.

I understand that, per the first article I linked, the cause of death is suicide, manner is asphyxiation, pending toxicology reports. It is unclear to me, as of this hour 1 am ET, if those reports are complete.

I would expect they can determine if this was an unassisted suicide, or an involuntary hanging. In either case I can accept their findings and my wholehearted sympathy for the family remains. It is, either way, a hard hard thing to bear.

 

[LittlePieces]

I have to ask which family does not dispute that it was suicide?

Her birth family or her in-laws? It wasn't clear to me from the way the media worded it.

I sensed a noticeable rift in the article in the HuffPost that quoted her birth family as saying LB would never leave on their own. When of course she would if she intended to kill herself.

I don't know. It needs clarification. imo

And, sometimes, a family will take, uncontested, the findings. They are in shock understandably, and have been under a long and intense strain. Sometimes they just want to get past the immediate pain, retrieve the body of their loved one, and say goodbye with the time honored rituals of mourning and a funeral.

Sometimes, as the shock wears off, it is only later that doubts, if there are any, begin.

 

[highflyer]

I saw one on FB when she was Homecoming Queen in high school. Not sure which FB it was though.

Thanks, saw it but was hoping to see a picture from when she was younger.

 

[Lilibet]

So if the homeowner was prompted to search his land after reading about the increased reward...isn't that kind of the point of offering one?

Yup.

Maybe it's not fair, but I see the offer of a generous reward as a way for a family to let the public know how important it is to them to find their loved one. Even if it isn't the money that motivates someone to search their property, knowing what a value the family places on it could tip the balance. I'm not even sure I'd accept the money, but that's just me. I wouldn't criticize the homeowner for being motivated by the reward or accepting it. He found Leanne!

On the other hand, families who do not offer a reward or launch a campaign to find their loved one don't give the impression that they care that much. So how do they expect the general public to care? Families of missing persons should follow the example of the Beardens and Hechts IMO. Sure they made mistakes, but they gave it their best effort and were willing to accept the internet nastiness for the sake of finding Leanne. Well done!

 

[Fairy1]

I'm confused here. Are there folks that believe this was not a suicide? Why? IMO, it's really not so unbelievable.

 

[Ghostwheel]

here is the latest article I can find:

there is a timeline of sorts.

It states in the article that " The discovery came on the heels of a $20,000 reward offered by Bearden's family on Wednesday. " Wednesday February the 12th as shown on the included timeline.

The homeowner (not identified as of yet) called on the 13th.

Link: http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news...nne-Beardens-death-was-suicide-245604711.html

Unless a second paper has been wrong on the key dates.

I think it's a semantics thing. The original reward was $10,000. It was probably RAISED to $20,000 the day before she was found, and the articles are stating that her body was found "the day after" a $20,000 reward was offered, but it is 6 days after a $10,000 reward was offered.