The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help identifying a person who died in an apparent suicide.
The Sheriff’s Office responded to Bacon Springs Lane in Marlow, just north of Oak Ridge, at 3:52 p.m. Sunday.
A family had been walking in the area when they found a human skull, said Tyler Mayes, ACSO spokesperson and director of administrative services.
[Read more…]
An Oak Ridge Team recently sped up a computer model that helps predict veteran suicide risk. (Image credit: Carlos Jones, ORNL)
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Submitted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory
More than 6,000 veterans died by suicide in 2016, and from 2005 to 2016, the rate of veteran suicides in the United States increased by more than 25 percent.
Suicide prevention is the highest priority for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs—so much so that in recent years, the VA has started using predictive models and advanced informatics (the study of information processing; computer science) to identify at-risk veterans.
One model of this type is called the medication possession ratio algorithm. It creates individualized summaries of veterans’ medication patterns, such as which medications a veteran is prescribed and how often those prescriptions are filled. The model helps clinicians pinpoint veterans with inconsistent medication usage patterns. These veterans are known to have a higher risk of attempting suicide in the next month.
In a collaborative project with the VA, a team at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has taken the model and engineered the expanded version of it to run 300 times faster, gaining an unprecedented acceleration that might have a profound effect on the VA’s ability to reach susceptible veterans quickly. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Police Department found a person who had died when officers responded to a call Tuesday evening.
The cause of death is believed to be suicide, the ORPD said.
No more information will be released, the ORPD said
Oak Ridge Today had received a reader inquiry about a body found in the woods on Andover Circle on Tuesday.
Alexander John Heitman
Officials say it was suicide. But the parents are skeptical.
So questions linger almost four years after Alexander John Heitman, 29, of Knoxville, was found dead in Cocke County after being reported missing by Oak Ridge Schools. Heitman reportedly died on Tranquility Ridge Drive outside Newport on July 25, 2011. Officials said it was suicide, a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
But Heitman’s parents, Don and Annette Heitman of Adams, Wisconsin, find it hard to believe. They aren’t the only ones. Some current and former Oak Ridge residents, including City Council member Trina Baughn, are also skeptical of the official cause of death.
Heitman’s widow, Kristie Heitman, is not. In February, she released a suicide note that she believes Alex, who was the supervisor of business and support services for Oak Ridge Schools, wrote the day before he died.
Neither is Cocke County Sheriff Armando Fontes. In March, he said the case is closed, and there is no reason to continue pursuing it. Investigators found no evidence that anyone else was involved, Fontes said.
But Don and Annette continue to seek answers. They started a website in October 2013 and used it to raise questions about the case. They’ve also asked for the death investigation to be re-opened, hired attorney Hugh Ward to help them, and won the support of Baughn and others. They’ve also asked the FBI to investigate. [Read more…]
To the Editor:
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention website, 41,149 lives were taken in 2013 from suicide. According to the website of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, people who kill themselves exhibit one or more warning signs, either through what they say or what they do. The more warning signs, the greater the risk!
Talk
If a person talks about:
Behavior
A person’s suicide risk is greater if a behavior is new or has increased, especially if it’s related to a painful event, loss, or change:
Mood
People who are considering suicide often display one or more of the following moods:
These are shocking. I should know. I was married to a man, who was smart, driven, and someone who, on the outside, had a very laid-back demeanor, and was extremely confident. I had known this man for 13 years. I was married to him for three before he ended his own life. You might be very familiar with this man. There have been some who have taken to the Internet to blog about him and his situation, and there has been some press about him over the last 3.5 years since his passing. Sadly, there have been a number of half-truths and pointing of fingers, and that process has defamed the characters of some citizens and a respectable city.
I am not writing to point fingers, or to publicly humiliate anyone. I want to raise awareness in hopes it helps someone else—awareness about Alex Heitman and what he experienced. I will also add that the information that I am providing is not new information and has been shared with all parties involved at one point or another since Alex’s passing. [Read more…]
Alexander John Heitman
Note: This story was last updated at 2:08 a.m. Feb. 28.
The cause of his death has been questioned for months, but information released Friday said a former Oak Ridge Schools employee found dead in Cocke County in July 2011 wrote a suicide note the day before he died.
Alex Heitman, 29, was the supervisor of business and support services for Oak Ridge Schools. Cocke County authorities said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on July 25, 2011. The death was ruled a suicide.
But Heitman’s parents, Don and Annette Heitman, have been questioning since at least October 2013 whether their son’s death, which they call mysterious, was actually a suicide. They’ve been supported by a few residents and former residents and Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn.
On Monday, a television station in Madison, Wisconsin, broadcast a story on Heitman’s death and his parent’s quest to find answers. In that story, Don Heitman said “we just don’t have the answers to prove that it was (suicide).†In that same story, Baughn said the information collected so far “points to something much bigger than a suicide.â€
But Heitman’s widow, Kristie Heitman, told the TV station that she believes her late husband committed suicide, and she found what appears to be a suicide note on his computer after he died. [Read more…]
Alexander John Heitman
Note: This story was last updated at 11:45 a.m. Dec. 11.
The family of a former Oak Ridge school employee found dead of a shotgun wound in Cocke County more than three years ago wants authorities there to reopen the investigation of their son’s death, a press release said.
The family of Alexander “Alex†J. Heitman has also hired an attorney, retired Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugh B. Ward Jr. of Knoxville law firm Young Williams. Ward has Oak Ridge connections, serving on several local boards and as the city’s administrative hearing officer.
Heitman’s family asked for the death investigation to be re-opened after Cocke County Circuit Court Judge Ben Hooper on Monday ordered Coroner Terry Jarnigan to stay away from crime scenes and dead bodies in Cocke County. The Newport Plain Talk reported that Jarnigan allegedly compromised a corpse he was told would be sent for an autopsy in November.
WBIR-TV in Knoxville reported that Jarnigan resigned Tuesday. The Heitmans said the former county coroner oversaw their son’s crime scene.
The Plain Talk reported in June that the District Attorney’s office in Newport said it saw no reason to re-open the investigation of Heitman’s death, which has been ruled a suicide. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
A 56-year-old Knoxville woman committed suicide in the woods off of Indian Gap Road in Andersonville, according to a report from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle in a gravel pull-off on Indian Gap found the car unoccupied on Tuesday evening with a woman’s identification and other personal belongings inside the vehicle.
Deputies contacted the Knox County Sheriff’s Office since her information identified her as a Knox resident, and they learned that the woman and her husband had been involved in a domestic dispute the previous night. Her husband told investigators that he had called the KCSO, but that his wife had left their home before deputies arrived. [Read more…]
To the Editor:
Many articles in recent weeks have been reflecting on the suicide of Robin Williams and providing national help lines.
For over 40 years, right here in our community, CONTACT Care Line has provided a listening ear to those who are lonely, in crisis, having a bad day, or just need someone to talk to. CONTACT Care Line, serving the 865 area code and beyond, is a local nonprofit staffed by trained volunteers who are available to listen seven days a week, 365 days a year, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The number to call to reach a listening ear is (865) 584-4424. All calls are confidential.
CONTACT recently added a local chat service (CONTACTCareLineTN.org/chat) and a text service ((865) 407-2TXT) available Monday-Friday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Chat/text specialists also take Suicide Prevention Line crisis chats from across Tennessee between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. weekdays. [Read more…]
Front row from left to right are Olivia Kelly, Reagan Wolfe, and Courtney Sharp.
Second row from left to right are Emma Berry, Hope Hicks, Jake Wade, and Kaylee Hunley.
Third row from left to right are Mary Tuskan, Jacob Reed, Ryan Wiggins, and Gabe Merritt.
Top row from left to right are Michael Beal, Cameron Moore, and Michael Foster. (Photo courtesy ASAP)
Students from Anderson County joined more than 400 youth leaders from across the state at a recent Tennessee Teen Institute. The Tennessee Teen Institute is a five-day youth leadership and prevention camp sponsored by the Jackson Area Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency.
The Anderson County Health Department and ASAP (Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention) sponsored two teams of six youth to participate in TTI, one from Anderson County High School and one from Clinton High School.
“This is the third year we have been able to sponsor youth to attend the Teen Institute, and it has shown an excellent return,” said Stephanie Strutner, ASAP executive director. “Students return energized to serve as peer leaders and make positive changes in their schools.”
This was the 27th year of the Teen Institute Program in Tennessee, a press release said. The program addresses teen issues such as bullying, violence, suicide, teen pregnancy, distracted driving, teen health, and substance abuse prevention through a five-day, peer-led prevention camp designed to provide teen participants with the skills and education necessary to develop and implement alcohol and drug abuse prevention programs in their own communities. [Read more…]
Three counts of aggravated assault pending against woman; officers on administrative leave
Two Oak Ridge police officers fired four shots at a woman who pointed a pistol at one of them on Saturday night, authorities said.
The woman, who had reportedly threatened to commit suicide, pointed the semi-automatic pistol at Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Leslie Miller after authorities had ordered her to put down the gun, a press release said.
Fearing for her safety, Miller fired one round, while another responding officer, Christopher Carden, fired three shots at the at the woman, Anna King, who fell backwards, the ORPD press release said.
Police responded to the home at 123 Jonathan Lane at about 11:37 p.m. Saturday after King’s boyfriend called police to report that King had threatened to commit suicide. The boyfriend said King had access to several weapons, including a pistol, a rifle, and a shotgun. Besides Miller and Carden, Officer Kenneth Prickett was also dispatched to the home to check King’s welfare, the press release said. [Read more…]
Submitted
CONTACT Care Line of East Tennessee is marking 40 years of service to neighbors in crisis with a fundraising concert, a new series of listening workshops, a new executive director, and a new look.
The Oak Ridge-based nonprofit fields some 10,000 telephone calls annually from people who are lonely, facing a crisis, and at times contemplating suicide. It is staffed almost entirely by volunteers, including a contingent of University of Tennessee psychology students whose time listening to callers provides valuable experience. [Read more…]
