Death of Teleka Patrick confirmed

By Chellie Cervone - Posted: Apr 9, 2014 at 10:03 pm

Photo of Teleka Patrick with long hair and smiling.

Teleka Patrick (Photo: Facebook)

Death of Teleka Patrick confirmed

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The death of Teleka Patrick has been confirmed.

Patrick, a medical resident, who was described as “brilliant” was last seen on Dec. 5.

A fisherman discovered a body Tuesday near where Patrick’s car was last seen and it was widely believed that the body was that of the missing doctor.

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An autopsy, conducted Tuesday, officially confirmed the death of Teleka Patrick.

While her family and authorities searched for her, personal details began to emerge that painted a picture of Patrick as a person that suffered from severe mental health issues.

She stalked well-known Pastor Marvin Sapp and even decided to study in Kalamazoo, Mich., rather than attend an Ivy League school so that she could be near Sapp, and he filed a restraining order against her. Patrick created numerous Twitter accounts and sent out thousands of tweets that seemed to be directed towards Sapp.

Her ex-husband said his marriage to Patrick ended because of her refusal to obtain help for mental health issues.

She disappeared under strange circumstances.

Instead of going home after her shift, Patrick left the Borgess Medical Center where she served as a resident and obtained a ride from a coworker to a downtown hotel, instead of driving her car which was parked in the hospital parking garage.

She told coworkers that she was driving a rental car, but that was not true.

She ended up not getting a hotel room because she didn’t have enough money and obtained a ride back to her own car. Just hours later her car was found nearly 100 miles away with a flat tire in a ditch in Indiana.

Police are saying that the death of Teleka Patrick appears to have been an accidental drowning, but they are awaiting toxicology results. There is a fence around the area that where she was found so it is unknown why she went into the fenced area. Even though she was severely disturbed her family insists that the death of Teleka Patrick was not a suicide.

The Patrick family released the following statement regarding the death of Teleka Patrick,

Over the past several months, you have gotten to know Teleka Cassandra Patrick. You’ve gotten to know her how we knew her and you’ve seen her bright and caring smile. She was beautiful, intelligent, and God-fearing. You’ve prayed for Teleka, cried for Teleka, and worked to find Teleka and we thank you. We thank you for walking this difficult journey with our family.

Teleka’s death is not the ending we had hoped for, however, the journey does not end here. As we mourn Teleka, we must also honor her; honor the life she led, honor her kind spirit and honor her devotion to God and others. Teleka had a passion and zest for life and no matter the circumstances that led up to her death, we are certain that she would not have taken her own life. Many questions remain, but what is certain is that we will love her forever and her legacy will continue to live on in the love we show to others.

Thank you for your prayers. Please respect our privacy in this difficult time.

The Patrick Family

Rest in peace Teleka Patrick.