A man who died by suicide in a Catholic church in Boise, Idaho, more than 40 years ago was finally identified last month – and may be connected to another notorious cold case.
On December 4, 1982, a parishioner of Sacred Heart Catholic Church discovered a man dead under a pew. The man had no identification on him and was carrying US$1,900 in cash and a typed note requesting that the money be used to pay for his funeral and cremation, with any remainder donated to the church.
The note was signed “Wm. L. Toomey”, which was determined to be an alias. The Ada County coroner ruled that the cause of death was suicide by cyanide poisoning.
