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

[AzPistonsGirl]

As a gentle reminder... AND I AM NOT SAYING THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED HERE and don't want to upset anyone before anything official has been released,but... please know that suicide has no hard and fast diagram. Folks who just bought groceries, just booked a trip, just spoke to their sister, just made cookies for their young child, just told a joke to their SO, just put a roast in the oven, just registered for classes next semester... any of these folks might be preparing to take their own lives.

Please communicate, love one another, listen to each other, care for one another, be good to others... you never know who is suffering... There is no hard and fast rule or roadmap for suicide.

may Raffaella's family find the love and peace they seek, now and always...

 

[fridaybaker]

The obituary mentions accident as COD before official autopsy results are released?


Knowing her family is deeply religious, I suspect the accident theory gives them peace of mind. I think suicide is the most probable COD.

Cybervampira, why do you think this? The keys? Any other thoughts/things that point you in that direction?

 

[fridaybaker]

As a gentle reminder... AND I AM NOT SAYING THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED HERE and don't want to upset anyone before anything official has been released,but... please know that suicide has no hard and fast diagram. Folks who just bought groceries, just booked a trip, just spoke to their sister, just made cookies for their young child, just told a joke to their SO, just put a roast in the oven, just registered for classes next semester... any of these folks might be preparing to take their own lives.

Please communicate, love one another, listen to each other, care for one another, be good to others... you never know who is suffering... There is no hard and fast rule or roadmap for suicide.

may Raffaella's family find the love and peace they seek, now and always...

This reminds me of a man who committed suicide, who was discussed here when he went missing (can't remember his name), but who kissed his wife and said goodbye to his daughter, then went running. It's thought that he drowned himself in the ocean very soon after he left the house. It's so hard to imagine! It's very easy to be so absorbed in everyday life that we don't see people, often in our own homes, who are struggling.

 

[cybervampira]

Cybervampira, why do you think this? The keys? Any other thoughts/things that point you in that direction?

- The weather conditions. It was snowing, stormy, and freezing cold. Yes, I can imagine her taking a breath of fresh air somewhere. But taking a hike?
- The location. I think she walked out on the dock and jumped into the water.
- The key placement. She left the key for someone to find. If she was properly dressed for the weather and not walking around in a t-shirt or swimsuit, she‘d have taken her car keys with her. It only makes sense to me if she willingly went into the water.
- Her phone was inside the car. Again, doesn’t make sense if she went hiking.
- Her family being adament it was an accident before the autopsy results were out. Why stress it was an accident? No need to mention the COD in an obit unless you want to shut down rumors. Maybe these rumors were substanciated?

 

[fridaybaker]

- The weather conditions. It was snowing, stormy, and freezing cold. Yes, I can imagine her taking a breath of fresh air somewhere. But taking a hike?
- The location. I think she walked out on the dock and jumped into the water.
- The key placement. She left the key for someone to find. If she was properly dressed for the weather and not walking around in a t-shirt or swimsuit, she‘d have taken her car keys with her. It only makes sense to me if she willingly went into the water.
- Her phone was inside the car. Again, doesn’t make sense if she went hiking.
- Her family being adament it was an accident before the autopsy results were out. Why stress it was an accident? No need to mention the COD in an obit unless you want to shut down rumors. Maybe these rumors were substanciated?

They also stress that she loved to hike, nature, etc. I can see wanting to be out in stormy weather. I sort of love that myself, but I do think I would have been sure, especially in those conditions, to take my cell phone (if there was coverage there) or to not venture far from my car. I guess I'm just trying to place myself in that situation. The thing I have the most difficult with are the keys. She would have had to have been wearing a jacket/coat, and what jacket wouldn't have a pocket? This is where the sticking point for me lies.

Regarding the "walked out on the dock and jumped into the water", this is also something that is hard to understand. It just seems like such a hard way to do it. Terribly hard. Awful.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

This reminds me of a man who committed suicide, who was discussed here when he went missing (can't remember his name), but who kissed his wife and said goodbye to his daughter, then went running. It's thought that he drowned himself in the ocean very soon after he left the house. It's so hard to imagine! It's very easy to be so absorbed in everyday life that we don't see people, often in our own homes, who are struggling.

Jeffrey Boucher but I can't find his thread here - perhaps too long ago? But here is an article... Wife of missing jogger Jeffrey Boucher teams up with Websleuths

But there have been others as well, we could list them here easily... folks whose families and friends say they never suspected...

sad to be in such pain to imagine that is the best way to cope...

Maybe Raffaella did slip and hit her head and drown or something, but perhaps her grace can remind us to be kind to each other, to take a breath before judging someone or saying something out of anger... regardless.

 

[fridaybaker]

Jeffrey Boucher but I can't find his thread here - perhaps too long ago? But here is an article... Wife of missing jogger Jeffrey Boucher teams up with Websleuths

But there have been others as well, we could list them here easily... folks whose families and friends say they never suspected...

sad to be in such pain to imagine that is the best way to cope...

Maybe Raffaella did slip and hit her head and drown or something, but perhaps her grace can remind us to be kind to each other, to take a breath before judging someone or saying something out of anger... regardless.

Boy, you have quite the memory! That's exactly who I was thinking of. Yet, as you say, there are countless others. Good advice you give.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Years ago, I drove to a nearby state park, parked at the trailhead parking lot, and set out for a cross-country ski. An hour or two later I returned to the car only to discover my keys were missing. I had made the rookie mistake of forgetting to zip up the front pocket of my jacket, and one of the (presumably multiple) times I had stumbled on my skis, they had fallen out.

I was beyond fortunate that a second trip around resulted in me noticing the correct hole they had made falling into the dry snow, and I reclaimed them.

But I would not be at all surprised if frequent hikers, in areas where it feels safe enough, have a habit of leaving the keys at the car. After all, you're not going to need them on the hike and there are so many opportunities to lose them along the way.

 

[DAMages]

Local newspaper article published today. Being a local I have heard a somewhat reliable "rumor" so I wouldn't be surprised if there are some major developments in this case in the near future. I don't want to share too much in the event that the info I was told is correct.
Lake Gazette, MO, Local News, National News, Local Sports, National Sports, St Louis Cardinals, Rams, Mark Twain

Bumping this thread in case there are any major developments as suspected by @momof2wats . Such a curious case.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

Lake Gazette, MO, Local News, National News, Local Sports, National Sports, St Louis Cardinals, Rams, Mark Twain

from that article in @momof2wats post, which is good to re-read:

That large lake (Mark Twain Lake) is 115 miles from where she was last seen (Whole Food, groceries from there still in the car, 115 miles later)... "she was found 300 yards south east of the bridge, in a cove"

Assuming that's the 107 bridge, could she have parked, walked to the bridge and (being delicate here) somehow ended up in the water below? vs. entering the water from the boat ramp?

 

[cybervampira]

Questions remain unanswered after autopsy of St. Louis ballerina found dead in Missouri lake

[...]

The Post-Dispatch obtained Stroik's autopsy report this month through a Sunshine Law request. The Monroe County Coroner's Office determined that Stroik died by drowning, but the manner of death was still unclear, said Monroe County Coroner Jim Reinhard.

"There wasn't a suicide note or anything like that," he said. "There were no injuries that clearly indicated a fall."

Stroik was found wearing a wind-breaker suit. She had no alcohol or drugs in her system, according to the autopsy. She had minor bruises and scrapes, but may have had those before she drowned, Reinhard said.

[...]

Jiang spoke at her funeral Mass, saying Raffella Stroik attended an 8 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral on Nov. 12, the morning she went missing. She was last seen alive a few hours later at the Whole Foods Market at 1160 Town and Country Crossing Drive in Town and Country, according to police.

"As we went through our security footage, what moved me was her standing before the Blessed Mother Chapel (which her father designed) completely lost in prayer for three minutes," Jiang said in the elegy. "How would our Mother ever abandon a child who loved her so much?"

[...]

 

[LaborDayRN]

Questions remain unanswered after autopsy of St. Louis ballerina found dead in Missouri lake

[...]

The Post-Dispatch obtained Stroik's autopsy report this month through a Sunshine Law request. The Monroe County Coroner's Office determined that Stroik died by drowning, but the manner of death was still unclear, said Monroe County Coroner Jim Reinhard.

"There wasn't a suicide note or anything like that," he said. "There were no injuries that clearly indicated a fall."

Stroik was found wearing a wind-breaker suit. She had no alcohol or drugs in her system, according to the autopsy. She had minor bruises and scrapes, but may have had those before she drowned, Reinhard said.

[...]

Jiang spoke at her funeral Mass, saying Raffella Stroik attended an 8 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral on Nov. 12, the morning she went missing. She was last seen alive a few hours later at the Whole Foods Market at 1160 Town and Country Crossing Drive in Town and Country, according to police.

"As we went through our security footage, what moved me was her standing before the Blessed Mother Chapel (which her father designed) completely lost in prayer for three minutes," Jiang said in the elegy. "How would our Mother ever abandon a child who loved her so much?"

[...]

Not knowing the "why" must be so hard for her family. They mention she had bruises and scrapes. I wonder if she could have fallen and hit her head? I also wonder where the bruising was? Could someone have held her under water? Or was this a choice she made for a reason we may never know. Prayers for her loved ones.

 

[cybervampira]

Not knowing the "why" must be so hard for her family. the mention she had bruises and scrapes. I wonder if she could have fallen and hit her head? I also wonder where the bruising was? Could someone have held her under water?

I‘m still leaning towards suicide. No signs of rape, robbery, assault. I‘d think someone fighting for her life wouldn’t have minor scrapes and bruises. The fact there was no suicide note doesn’t mean anything here. She was going to be a nun, her family is deeply religious, she had a good reason to make it look like an accident. Yes, it could have been a freak accident, I‘m afraid we‘ll never get the answer.

 

[LaborDayRN]

I‘m still leaning towards suicide. No signs of rape, robbery, assault. I‘d think someone fighting for her life wouldn’t have minor scrapes and bruises. The fact there was no suicide note doesn’t mean anything here. She was going to be a nun, her family is deeply religious, she had a good reason to make it look like an accident. Yes, it could have been a freak accident, I‘m afraid we‘ll never get the answer.

Yes, I'm sure your right.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

I‘m still leaning towards suicide. No signs of rape, robbery, assault. I‘d think someone fighting for her life wouldn’t have minor scrapes and bruises. The fact there was no suicide note doesn’t mean anything here. She was going to be a nun, her family is deeply religious, she had a good reason to make it look like an accident. Yes, it could have been a freak accident, I‘m afraid we‘ll never get the answer.

I completely agree. As you suggested, I strongly suspect this was a suicide made to look like an accident. Raffaella did the best she could to protect those she loved and those who loved her, IMO.

I wonder what was going through Raffaella’s mind when she was seen “standing before the Blessed Mother Chapel (which her father designed) completely lost in prayer for three minutes,” just a few hours before she was last seen alive. What were the “things in her life that she had to pray about” that Professor Stroik talks about? We will likely never know.

 

[Cheryl L]

I don't think this has been discussed, but I was always struck that Raffaella went on her retreat on a Monday. I don't know what her rehearsal or teaching schedule was like, but considering it was a weekday it's possible (if not likely) she was supposed to be working. Given that a trip to Mark Twain Lake would be a four-hour round-trip minimum, that would cover an entire day so there's no way she could've made scheduled classes/rehearsals/teaching. Again, not certain that was the case, but I could buy the retreat story more easily if she had gone on a weekend or holiday. Add that with icy (or at least very cold) weather and that does not sound like the perfect time to go someplace far from the city alone.

Her father mentioned in Raffaella's obituary that she visited the lake several years ago, another odd detail as she wouldn't have been living in St. Louis then. The lake is almost 6 1/2 hours from her home of South Bend, Indiana, and not located near or on an obvious pathway to any major city, so her having visited beforehand is....strange. Personally I don't believe she had ever been there. Especially reading comments on this thread, the lake doesn't seem to be well known or easy to find.

Zero disrespect intended for her family BTW, I can't imagine the grief they must feel. What an awful, tragic situation for everyone who knew her.

 

[momof2wats]

Questions remain unanswered after autopsy of St. Louis ballerina found dead in Missouri lake

 

[momof2wats]

Local pilot, Butch Pennewell receives Honorary Trooper Certificate (Click in link below). The adorable little girl in the picture lives across the street from me

Lake Gazette, MO, Local News, National News, Local Sports, National Sports, St Louis Cardinals, Rams, Mark Twain

 

[fridaybaker]

I thought I had read early on, when they had only found her vehicle and not her body, that the family didn't think she'd ever been there before. Of course, when I now go to find such a thing in previous news reports, I can't find it. Perhaps my imagination.
Also, there was a poster on this thread some time ago who was a local to the park area, and mentioned a "local rumor" regarding this case, but nothing was ever said about it since. What on earth could such a "rumor" be, if this were, indeed, just an accident, and why mention it and then never follow up on it. Tantalizing, but frustrating, those kind of "mentions".

 

[momof2wats]

I thought I had read early on, when they had only found her vehicle and not her body, that the family didn't think she'd ever been there before. Of course, when I now go to find such a thing in previous news reports, I can't find it. Perhaps my imagination.
Also, there was a poster on this thread some time ago who was a local to the park area, and mentioned a "local rumor" regarding this case, but nothing was ever said about it since. What on earth could such a "rumor" be, if this were, indeed, just an accident, and why mention it and then never follow up on it. Tantalizing, but frustrating, those kind of "mentions".

Fridaybaker....I am the local person who posted that and I did hear a rumor locally.....I think based on the autopsy report it is clear that something is off and that there is much more to the story. I have said it before and I will say it again.....I live approx 12 miles from the exact location and I have never even been there and had to ask my husband how to get there. She drove past many locations (safer locations) where she could have taken in the lake and nature as is claimed, and most importantly this was an EXTREMELY nasty weather day....cold, blowing snow, some slide offs and minor crashes...just down right yucky. Certainly not a day to drive 2 hours each way to take a hike. There are plenty of awesome places in St. Louis to take a hike on such a day if one so desired. I still will not reveal what the exact rumor is just in case it is in fact true and I do not want to ruin anything for the investigation but what I heard most certainly indicates that it was not accidental or intentional.