Mother of MSU student found dead wants case re-examined
The mother of an MSU student who was found dead on an Indiana golf course one year ago is asking for a new investigation.
Nancy Cotter, the mother of then 20-year-old MSU junior Rylan Cotter, wants police to take a more thorough look at how her daughter died on Jan. 7, 2008. A coroner ruled the Mason native and international relations junior committed suicide by jumping from an electrical tower at Brassie Golf Course in Chesterton, Ind., about 20 miles from the Michigan-Indiana border near Lake Michigan.
Cotter said evidence might show that her daughter did not jump from the tower and police have been quick to rule the death a suicide.
Local residents of the small Indiana town have told Cotter that her daughter would not have been able to climb the tower without aid. She said the electrical tower is in a remote area on the golf course.
“If somebody wanted to commit suicide, there was a far more accessible tower,” Cotter said.
Cotter added that without directions to the golf course, which is located about two and a half miles away from the nearest major road, “there’s no way” her daughter would have found it.
Rylan’s body was found 28 feet from an electrical tower on the golf course with items still in her hand. Police and Nancy Cotter have not disclosed what the items were.
Prior to her death, Cotter was seen alone on a surveillance tape at a Chesterton business purchasing a box cutter and allergy medicine, Cotter said. A coroner’s report stated Cotter had a non-lethal dose of Diphenhydramine, commonly known as Benadryl, in her system. Authorities also found a small wound on her left wrist that was bandaged.
Cotter’s family and friends reported to police that Rylan had exhibited changes in behavior and skipped several classes prior to her death. Nancy Cotter said that her daughter was coping with the illness of a close family member and only missed classes that were unrelated to her plans to travel to Darfur for an internship.
Cotter said she bears no ill will against Chesterton Police and doesn’t believe they are involved in a cover-up. She said she is asking for additional help and more investigation into her daughter’s suspicious death.
Cotter said her ultimate goal is for police or a coroner to change the manner of her daughter’s death from “suicide” to “undetermined” because of the unknown factors surrounding the death.
“I’m only one person but I’m asking for support because, like Rylan, I believe one person can make a difference,” Cotter said.
Chesterton police Lt. Dave Cincoski, the lead investigator for the case, said police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Cotter’s death and sporadically receive new information related to the case, the latest of which came last week.
Cincoski said police are still waiting on lab results, the specifics of which he declined to divulge because the investigation is still open. He said the investigation will remain open until all leads have been exhausted.
Published on Thursday, January 8, 2009
Comments
curious
01/08/09 @ 5:59pm
I mean no disrespect by this posting, but it makes me wonder about life insurance. Normally, if the death is ruled undetermined the beneficiary of a life insurance policy would get the award. If the death is ruled suicide, they would not. I wonder with the hard economic times if this is impacting the family’s decision at all to push for the change in the police records.
ELG
01/08/09 @ 7:15pm
Very few college students have life insurance policies of much. I am unaware of Rylan having any life insurance, but I could be wrong. I think the reason many people wish to see this looked into further is a result of the pieces not fitting together. There are many people who felt that ruling this a suicide was odd and really didn’t make sense. Just my two cents.
write much
01/08/09 @ 7:50pm
Um … this headline makes it sound like the mom died too … so does the first sentence. Did Stephanie Goldberg, the writer of the E.L. Food and Fitness blog write this?
Jessica
01/08/09 @ 9:57pm
This case has baffled me for a year. I really do not think it is a suicide. I think they need to look into it more as well.
Puzzled
01/09/09 @ 12:02am
There’s too many pieces that don’t add up. I’m not saying there’s some kind of massive conspiracy, but I do think there was a bit of a rush to label this a suicide. Who would think about buying allergy medication hours before they were going to commit suicide? Who would drive hours to a golf course they’d never seen before to do the deed? Who wouldn’t leave some kind of message or note?
Jason
01/09/09 @ 8:28am
Not everyone who commits suicide leaves a note. I have had a family member (married into the family), as well as another member of his family on the other side, commit suicide in 2 different ways, and neither one of them left a note. It was an obvious suicide…I won’t get into details but similarly, he went into the middle of nowhere (State forests) to do what he did. I don’t think that any of the specifics in this case are irrational…outside of the girl’s thought process when she did it…do you think anyone who commits suicide is thinking straight when they do it? None of this surprises me at all.
Ben
01/09/09 @ 9:23am
It is still rather odd about the location, but I can’t overlook the fact that she also bought a box cutter and had a cut on her wrist. So it seems she first tried killing herself by slitting her wrists, couldn’t go through with it and chose an alternative method. Sad that no one saw the signs quick enough to help her.
Michael
01/09/09 @ 9:32am
I understand if the mother wants to get some closure on her daughters death, but if there wasn’t anyone else involved then maybe the mother needs to seek some support to help her deal with her daughters death.
Compassionate
01/09/09 @ 11:46am
I don’t think the general public realizes how easy it is to give a death a name and close a case.Michael, I have experienced a similar situation and there is no help for a mother with no answers; even the “help” will tell you that, as they did me. As far as life insurance, most policies only have to be one year old before they will pay off on a suicide. Look at the facts; they don’t add up.
Know a lot
01/09/09 @ 2:27pm
I am helping Rylan’s mom and live where they found Rylan. I am certain she did not commit suicide. Believe me when I say, that none of the facts and evidence add up to suicide. They made it look that way…..but, they messed up on a few things. Someone knows something and they are about to get caught. Justice will be served for this incredible girl who made such a great impression in this world.
Jeannene
01/12/09 @ 4:15am
You are the best Know a lot! I am also a dear friend of Nancy Cotter. I am going to straighten out a few things! There was NO Insurance money! This is not a mother who can’t move on because of her grief. Rylan did not kill her self and please trust me, we have so much to prove it. Does victoria Deppe think by talking so uneducated and just plain childish that it is going to take away the attention from Rylan? TRUST ME MS DEPPE…It ain’t gonna happen….Please just do the right thing, your job.