Weather Balloon Helps Suicide Seem Murder

[Tribble]

When wealthy Alan Jay Abrahamson was found shot dead in a West Palm Beach, Fla., field last winter, two things struck cops as odd.

One was the thin trail of blood on the front of the 71-year-old man’s jacket — as if a bloody string had been dragged across his body. The other was what was on Abrahamson’s home computer.

He’d repeatedly searched online for how to make a suicide look like a murder. And he’d developed a strange interest in helium-filled weather balloons.

https://nypost.com/2018/07/14/csi-episode-helps-cops-solve-mans-mysterious-murder/

This is about 10 years after someone tried the same trick :

https://metro.co.uk/2008/07/17/csi-suicide-man-in-fatal-balloon-error-286817/

And nearly 15 years since they used it as a plot in CSI : Las Vegas :

http://geekromance.wikifoundry.com/page/Episode 4.03 Homebodies

 

[Yithian]

Florida, where else!

Florida man faked his murder using a gun and a weather balloon ​

​

ASHLEY MAY | USA TODAY 1:05 a.m. KST July 17, 2018​

​

The mysterious death of a Florida man has been solved, police say, after piecing together an elaborate suicide plot that included a weather balloon hoisting a gun into the sky. Palm Beach Gardens police began investigating the death of Alan Jay Abrahamson as a homicide. His body was found with a bullet wound to his chest in a field near his country club home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on Jan. 25. ​

​

Abrahamson, known to carry $200 to $300 in cash, had no cash in his wallet. His watch was missing. Police, who found no weapon or shell casings, began searching for suspects. They did find a pair of small scissors. A $3,000 reward drew no leads. ​

​

As time went on, police had more questions about what really happened to the well-loved man, "known for his extraordinary smile, contagious laugh and the twinkle in his eyes," according to his obituary in The Palm Beach Post.​

​

Twisted Tale Continues:​

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...rder-using-gun-and-weather-balloon/787566002/​

 

[Mythopoeika]

Why do such a thing? Maybe family was religious and opposed to suicide?

 

[Bigphoot2]

Why do such a thing? Maybe family was religious and opposed to suicide?

Maybe trying to frame someone he'd fallen out with.

 

[Coal]

That's a new twist on "The Problem of Thor Bridge".

 

[ramonmercado]

Florida, where else!

Florida man faked his murder using a gun and a weather balloon ​

​

ASHLEY MAY | USA TODAY 1:05 a.m. KST July 17, 2018​

​

The mysterious death of a Florida man has been solved, police say, after piecing together an elaborate suicide plot that included a weather balloon hoisting a gun into the sky. Palm Beach Gardens police began investigating the death of Alan Jay Abrahamson as a homicide. His body was found with a bullet wound to his chest in a field near his country club home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on Jan. 25. ​

​

Abrahamson, known to carry $200 to $300 in cash, had no cash in his wallet. His watch was missing. Police, who found no weapon or shell casings, began searching for suspects. They did find a pair of small scissors. A $3,000 reward drew no leads. ​

​

As time went on, police had more questions about what really happened to the well-loved man, "known for his extraordinary smile, contagious laugh and the twinkle in his eyes," according to his obituary in The Palm Beach Post.​

​

Twisted Tale Continues:​

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...rder-using-gun-and-weather-balloon/787566002/​

Reported here back in July 2018: https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/strange-deaths.10395/page-78#post-1771834

 

[EnolaGaia]

Reported here back in July 2018: https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/strange-deaths.10395/page-78#post-1771834

Also note that Tribble's July 2018 post referred to an earlier 2008 incident:

https://metro.co.uk/2008/07/17/csi-suicide-man-in-fatal-balloon-error-286817/

This balloon tactic is usually cited as tracing back to a 2003 CSI episode. However ...

In this 2006 post in the Locked Room Mysteries? thread:

https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/locked-room-mysteries.963/post-615285

... OldTimeRadio mentions having heard it used in a 1930's radio play.

 

[Frideswide]

OldTimeRadio mentions having heard it used in a 1930's radio play.

I have memories of an investigator (think Golden Age, Christie etc) working it out from small pieces of coloured "rubber" which were ignored by the police and which turned out to be the bit left after the balloon pops.

 

[Yithian]

Reported here back in July 2018: https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/strange-deaths.10395/page-78#post-1771834

Apologies, I did what I ask others not to and assumed that if I didn't recall reading it it couldn't be here.

That said, when I get a break I'll merge those earlier posts into this thread. It's good enought to have a dedicated discussion now that we have a FORTEAN CRIME section.

Edited: Now merged.

 

[ramonmercado]

Apologies, I did what I ask others not to and assumed that if I didn't recall reading it it couldn't be here.

That said, when I get a break I'll merge those earlier posts into this thread. It's good enought to have a dedicated discussion now that we have a FORTEAN CRIME section.

Edited: Now merged.

It's good to ensure that a story like that is posted though. I just remembered it because it was so unusual.