“I thought you should know you’re loved, wherever you are…I just thought you should know!”
Christmas shock
On December 11, 2022, as Jennifer began preparing for the holidays, she searched a storage area beneath a staircase – behind some clothes – looking for decorations.
“I know it may sound odd,” Jennifer told People. “I was just trying to figure out the best way to celebrate the holidays without knowing the whereabouts of my husband. I had been contemplating that for weeks before I decided to put up some Christmas decorations, to put me more in the Christmas spirit and to honor my husband, in a way.”
There, she waved a flashlight and made a grisly discovery.
“That’s when I discovered him…He had committed suicide,” she said in an interview with the Belleville News-Democrat.
Mummified remains
According to Rogers, Richard’s remains had progressed past typical decomposition and were found in a mummified state – a condition that occurs when bodily fluids evaporate or are absorbed, leaving the skin dry and preserved. Rogers noted that mummified bodies often produce little to no odor, which could explain why the smell inside the home was so difficult to trace.
“He had mental health issues in the past and he would get help for it,” Jennifer shared with People. “And he told me that he knew the breaking point, and he would get help. So, this would be the most farfetched of anything, that he would actually go through with this.”
“He never verbalized anything [like] he would take his life to me,” she added.
‘Hardest 218 days’
On Dec.17, 2022, Toliver shared her last Facebook message of her brother.
“My little Brother Richard, I always thought I would see you again,” she wrote alongside a black and white photo that showed Richard as a child.
“[I’ve] heard from hundreds with love and broken hearts over Richard! Troy thank you for keeping his family close you. Your constant concern and your prayers can never be forgotten. It was the saddest, hardest 229 days of our life. We want to hug all of you!” she wrote moments later.Continue reading…
