My big sister was found shot in the head on April 24th 2008. She owned a restaurant in Texas and was found in the private restroom of that restaurant. It has been ruled a suicide by both the coroner and the police even though the testing for gun shot residue has not been read yet. The detective tells me it can take two months or more to get these results in as they do prioritize the cases and a suicide would certainly not be placed at the top of the list. I am at my wits here because I am certain that it was not suicide but rather a murder made to look like a suicide and I cannot get anybody to listen to me. I am asking anybody with suggestions to please help me.
Here are the facts as I know them
She was with the same man for about 30 years he was terribly abusive and had threatened many times to blow her head off. She had tried to escape lots of times but always returned for fear of her life or fear of the lives of the people who helped her. She told me many times that if something ever happened to her that he did it.
Secondly April 24th is the anniversary of my baby girls death. She always made it a point to call me on that day and has done so for the last 10 years so I know she would have remembered and would never have compiled my grief on that day.
Thirdly she was found in the restroom sitting on the toilet with her pants down. I can't imagine my modest sister killing herself to be found dead with her pants down.
Fourth she was shot straight through the right temple and she was left handed.
Fifth the gun was laying in her lap and the blood spatter was more like a drip straight down as if she had her elbows on her knees when the trigger was pulled.
Sixth She was leaning to the right which makes no since to me. If you were shot in the right side of the head it only seems natural that your body would be blown left.
Seventh there were 2 guns found in the restroom, a 38 revolver was in the trash can and the police said it looked as if that gun has misfired. Then there was the 22 that was used to shoot her that was in her lap.
Eighth the man she had been with for about 30 years is the person who found her. He said they had been in the kitchen preparing mashed potatoes for lunch and needed to ask my sister how much milk to put in them so that is why he went looking for her. I found out later that mashed potatoes had not been on their restaurants menu for years so there would have been no reason to be making mashed potatoes.
Ninth the family of the man she was with was very quick to order her body cremated almost immediately after the autopsy. They wanted no service or anything.
Tenth the restaurant was on the market for sale for 1.3 million dollars which is a pretty big incentive for murder.
Eleventh there was no suicide note found.
I have talked to the restaurant employees and the delivery people who she got her supplies from all of which spoke to her that day or were in the restaurant at the time of the shooting and every single one of them says that there is no way she killed herself.
I am so appalled at our justice system as to how they can ignore all these facts and call it suicide just so they can close a case quickly.
Please if anybody has suggestions send them I am willing to try anything.

My aunt contacted her States Representative when she felt like the police was not doing their job. Her sons situation was very different than your sisters... he left a note also there were other signs and reasons to believe he did it. I believe she was just hoping against hope that he did not take his own life. But the represenative did follow up and make sure that the case had been invesitgated thoroughly.

I would suggest that you lay it out just as you did here, but you need to make it easier to read.

1.If there were ever police reports filed on him get copies of them and send in.

2.If he ever threatened her in front of you or anyone you know get statements from those that are aware of the threats, ask them to send in statements and numbers where they can be reached.

3. If she ever went to the hosptial for broken bones, cuts etc... that would be consistent with being battered mention those visit maybe those records could be pulled.

They do not have to have a body to convict him Google up the Carrie Culberson case and you will see what I mean. Good Luck

Thank you to all for your replies.
As to the question how was I privy to all the information if it was not tried as a murder? I did a great deal of detective work on my own. I questioned the police officers who were on the scene, the employees who were there at the time, the coroners assistant and many others.

Then you will just have to keep at the police to do their jobs. Go to their supervisors with your evidence that you have collected and present it to them. Go to the DA's office and sit down and calmly talk to them about this case as well.

I had to read this twice, it is so near the death of my first wife.
She was in Texas, he was found in the bathroom, and they declared it a sucicide even though again some of the evidence did not match.

To be honest had I not been working for the US Justice Dept at the time, most likely I would have been in jail since all they would do was threaten and escort me out of the police station for causing trouble over this.

I have found the police in Texas to be about the worst of anywhere I have been except for maybe Illinois.

I wish you more luck than I ever had, You can contact the Attorney General of your State, Contact your state representitives and see if they will put any pressure. If the city police are looking at it, get with your local council people. But they like to pack it away, and if they write it off, they don't keep the evidence for long, and will not even look into it, unless you get it changed to at least unknown.

If you have the money, hire a private dectitive to investigate and have a separate lab look at the evidence.

Was there a substantial life insurance policy here? If there was a large pay off involved, possibly the insurance company will be interested in what you have to say. If you know which company, try contacting them about this. If the abusive hubby was the beneficiary, then most definitely the insurance company will not want to pay a murderer a huge payout.

My advice would be to hire a private detective to investigate. You give an impressive list of facts, but I have to question some of them as they may be hearsay.

You say this man was "with" your sister, but you don't say if the relationship was formalized or not. If it wasn't then his family would have no right to order a cremation. You also say this was ordered, but was it done? Didn't you protest?

Have you had a conference with the local prosecutor? Could it be that the police are investigating, but just not telling you to lull the suspect?

Fr-Chuck, I am so sorry for what you had to go through. Thank you for taking the time to send me your suggestions.
I live about 4 hours away from where my sister lived or I would probably be sitting in the police station myself.
Right now I don't have the cash to hire a private detective but am planning a fund raiser in hopes of doing just that.
I have tried to no avail to get the local media to cover the story but they won't cover a suicide. I've explained the situation but until the police will say differently they do not want to cover the story. I've also emailed the T.V. show 48 hours mystery in hopes they will want to do a show.
I have also considered filing a wrongful death lawsuit against her common law husband thinking that would at least keep him from getting the proceeds from the sale of the restaurant. I just hate to think he would be able to get away with murder and make money on top of it.

Twinkiedooter- I wish I knew if she had a life insurance policy I've thought of this but have no idea how to find out this information. Her common law husband was a mean strange man who kind of just sat there and never talked whenever I would visit my sister. So I have no relationship with him whatsoever. He did have a daughter which was my sisters stepdaughter but can I just say the apple does not fall to far from the tree.

Thank you so much to all of you who have taken the time to help me with your suggestions. It means so much to know someone cares.

ScottGem- Most of the facts I know came directly from the detectives who were on the sceen. They have told me that the case is not closed and will not be closed until the GSR tests, toxicology and the rape kit results come in. My frustration is that the police also told me that they do prioritize the cases and since this looks like a suicide it would certainly not be put to the top of the list.
As for this man she was with they were never formally married but did live together for about 30 years so I just don't know what to call him.
The cremation was done before I could even locate my sister. She was killed on a Thursday and taken directly to Dallas for an autopsy and then cremated by Monday afternoon. I tried to protest but the Justice of the peace who I was told could help me was out of the office until it was too late.
I have made contact with the local District Attorny's office and they gave me the number to the Texas Ranger who is in charge of the county my sister lived in. Well he is definitely no Walker Texas Ranger, he basically told me he would not do anything at this point. He said I would have to wait for the local police to finish their investigation and then if I felt they did not do a good job I would have to contact the Sheriffs office and let them investigate and then if I felt they did not do a good job he may be able to get involved. Good grief it will be forever before all these different departments get their jobs done and the boyfriend/common law husband could be long gone.

Well Walker is a highly fictionalized version of what the real Rangers do. The Texas Rangers are the state police for Texas and do not get involved in local issues unless invited or they see a miscarriage of justice. So they would need to wait until the investigation was completed.

Frankly, I think getting someone like 48 hours involved or hiring your own PI are your only options at this point. Keeping after the detectives to let you know when the forensics come back is your other option.