ATLANTA _ To those who knew him best, Timothy Cunningham was a well-educated, motivated career man who felt it was his purpose to change lives. But in his personal life, Cunningham struggled with his sexuality, was upset he hadn't landed a promotion, and lived with a chronic disease, family and friends told Atlanta police.
It's now no longer a mystery how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention epidemiologist died. Cunningham committed suicide by drowning himself, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has obtained more than 600 pages of documents that show how the extensive investigation unfolded. Though there are hints at the personal struggles Cunningham was facing, there is no definitive answer to the biggest question: Why?
Cunningham, 35, was reported missing from his northwest Atlanta home in February. Just over seven weeks later, his body was pulled from the Chattahoochee River. An autopsy determined Cunningham drowned, but the case remained open for six weeks while investigators worked to determine if the drowning was accidental.
They reviewed evidence and transcriptions of interviews with family, friends and co-workers from an extensive investigation that began on Feb. 14, the day his parents reported him missing.
"You have to figure things out for yourself." Those were among the last words Cunningham told his sister, Tiana, over the phone, she told police. The siblings were close and spoke frequently, but in their last conversation, Tiana thought her older brother sounded paranoid.
When Cunningham stopped responding to his family's calls, it alarmed his parents, who drove from Maryland to his Atlanta home. All of their son's personal items, including his SUV and beloved dog, Mr. Bojangles, had been left behind. His parents found some of his clothes in trash bins outside the garage, they told police. But there was no sign of Cunningham.
So how did Cunningham, who knew how to swim, end up dead in the Chattahoochee River?
"We may never be able to tell you how he got into the river," Atlanta Police Major Michael O'Connor said April 5, two days after Cunningham's body was found.
