Deaths of teacher, husband a murder-suicide
No evidence points to outside involvement, say police, who are searching for motive
The deaths of a beloved teacher from the GTA and her husband beside a New Mexico highway have been ruled a murder-suicide, state police said Tuesday.
Ursula Tammy Kokotkiewicz, 32, was found dead in the passenger seat of the couple’s blue Dodge truck at about 9 a.m. Thursday.
Her husband, Jacob, was on the driver’s side with a gun between his legs.
Both had been shot in the head. The car was still running when New Mexico State Police officers found the couple on the side of the Interstate 40 highway near Albuquerque.
In a news release Tuesday, state police said they found “no forensic evidence indicating an external party to be involved” and investigators would be examining a number of electronics found in the car to help determine a motive for the death.
Officers found the bodies while directing traffic for a nearby crash in- volving a tractor-trailer carrying radioactive materials.
Kokotkiewicz was from Canada, but the couple lived in Flower Mound, Texas, about 45 kilometres northwest of Dallas. Her husband served in the U.S. army, according to local media.
Kokotkiewicz, who went by Tammy or Ms. K, taught at a high school in Dallas. She was certified to teach English, language arts and reading for students in Grades 4 to 12 since last July, records from the State of Texas show.
According to the Ontario College of Teachers, Kokotkiewicz graduated from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto in 2014 and was registered to teach in the province that September. Kokotkiewicz also received an honours bachelor of arts from U of T in 2013.
A pamphlet from Kokotkiewicz’s OISE graduation ceremony — where she went by her maiden name, James — notes she received an award from the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario.
Tributes for the teacher began rolling in via social media Monday night as news of her death began to spread.
“I can’t believe Ms. K is gone still,” one person wrote.
“Looking at her pictures makes it seem so unreal, especially because I had just talked to her before she left.”
Another person wrote: “My heart breaks . . . it will not be the same to look across the hall and not see you there in August.”
Family and friends are also trying to raise money to help Kokotkiewicz’s mother with funeral costs. The GoFundMe page has raised over $9,000 so far.
“Tammy was always smiling and made the best of every situation,” said the author of the page.
“Those who had the pleasure of knowing her will always remember her smile and bubbling personality.”