Former Manchester Woman Found Dead in S.D.
New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, NH)
October 19, 1995
Author: MICHAEL COUSINEAU Union Leader Staff
Estimated printed pages: 3

Co-workers hoped Tina Marcotte would turn up alive at her job in Rapid City, S.D. They had been hoping for 16 months.
But Marcotte's body was discovered last week under a scrap pile at a Rapid City lumberyard. Police believe foul play was involved, and the case's suspect, a former co-worker of Marcotte, committed suicide four days after the former New Hampshire woman disappeared.

''I think we all hoped she'd turn up somewhere alive,'' Gary Mallams, CEO at Black Hills Molding, said yesterday. ''As the time dwindled, people's hopes started to dim a bit over time.''

Marcotte, who spent most of her life in Manchester and Londonderry, disappeared June 24, 1994, after performing her job grading lumber on the night shift. She told a friend that ''Tom's here,'' and he was taking her home. She never made it.

That ''Tom'' was Tom Kueter, who had worked with Marcotte. The day after Marcotte's disappearance, Kueter went with Marcotte's live-in boyfriend, Patrick Gleason, to the police station to report her missing. Three days later, Kueter was found crushed under a forklift at his workplace. The coroner ruled the death a suicide.

Any faint optimism that remained with family and co-workers turned to heartbreak in that Rapid City lumberyard. ''It kind of tore a scab off of an old wound,'' Mallams said. ''It seemed we relived that tragedy again.'' Her obituary appears on Page A18.

Police believe Marcotte, 30, died the day she disappeared. ''We don't believe she was killed there. We believe she was deposited there,'' said Rapid City police Lt. James Fields.

Authorities haven't officially classified her death as a homicide.

''We're still investigating the cause with the premise it was foul play,'' Fields said.

As far as Kueter's involvement, he said, ''We're reasonably certain but unable to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.''

Fields pointed to the comment Marcotte made to her friend the last time she was seen. He also said Kueter could not account for all the time early on June 24. Fields wouldn't comment on a newspaper report that authorities found blood in Kueter's car. Police hope a forensic anthropologist will uncover some clues when analyzing Marcotte's body.

New Hampshire relatives say they have received a few newspaper clippings, but police haven't kept them as informed as they would like on what happened to Marcotte.

Marcotte left New Hampshire about eight years ago, eventually making it to South Dakota. ''She was a nice person, a good mother,'' a relative said. Marcotte and Gleason had lived together for at least a decade.

''Personally I think there's a third person involved, another person,'' the relative said.

Marcotte had three children: Bobbi Joe Marcotte, 13, lives in Sheridan, Wyo., while Sherri Marcotte, 10, and Patrick Gleason, 8, lived with her and Gleason in Rapid City.

A trust fund has been established for the children.

Gleason returned to work at Black Hills Molding yesterday for the first time since Marcotte's body was found. ''He's still hurting over it. Bearing up as best as can be expected,'' Mallams said. ''The kids seems to be taking it as well as can be expected.''

Gleason worked the day shift, and Marcotte would bring the kids there for their father to take them home. ''They always seemed to be well-mannered kids,'' Mallams said.

''It's been a real tragedy. We're a small-knit corporation,'' Mallams said.
Edition: State
Page: A1
Index Terms: MTC
Copyright 1995, 2002 Union Leader Corp.
Record Number: 0F5450E6994F8C49

OpenURL Article Bookmark (right click, and copy the link location):
Former Manchester Woman Found Dead in S.D.
http://docs.newsbank.com.ezproxy.fau.edu/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.new
sbank.com:AWNB:MULB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0F5450E
699C92449&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=0D0CB4F5C0EA43AA

Thank you JS. :)

Has this segment been included on one of the UM Greatest Hits collection? I don't think I've seen it... sounds like an intriguing case, nonetheless.

Has this segment been included on one of the UM Greatest Hits collection? I don't think I've seen it... sounds like an intriguing case, nonetheless.

Yes its one that I don't believe was ever on Lifetime and I actually got it from SI when it aired in Australia! I do think he killed Tina Marcotte but it seems very weird he would commit suicide by loading his forklift with a ton of lumber and then making it so it would run over him (which is what police believe he did).

Yes its one that I don't believe was ever on Lifetime and I actually got it from SI when it aired in Australia! Its on volume 8 under "Tom Keater" because at the time I wasn't sure how he spelled his last name. I do think he killed Tina Marcotte but it seems very weird he would commit suicide by loading his forklift with a ton of lumber and then making it so it would run over him (which is what police believe he did).

Yeah it's hard to imagine committing suicide like this, I mean his head was crushed under the back wheels of the forklift... how is that possible?

Yeah it's hard to imagine committing suicide like this, I mean his head was crushed under the back wheels of the forklift... how is that possible?

Exactly. Too much chance for failure and a PAINFUL recovery/existence assuming he did fail.

I think Tom Keater was responsible for Tina's death as well. Everything points in his direction.

A possibility is that someone at the worksite felt Tom was guilty, but feared that he wouldn't get charged with it due to lack of evidence or whatever, and decided to make sure Tom paid one way or another.

Yes its one that I don't believe was ever on Lifetime and I actually got it from SI when it aired in Australia! Its on volume 8 under "Tom Keater" because at the time I wasn't sure how he spelled his last name. I do think he killed Tina Marcotte but it seems very weird he would commit suicide by loading his forklift with a ton of lumber and then making it so it would run over him (which is what police believe he did).

The reason for committing suicide like this is so that it looks enough like an accident that his wife and children benefit from the insurance money - which is exactly what happened according to the UM site.

Actually, this case did air on Lifetime. I still have it saved on my DVR... It aired April 25th, 2011.

Actually, this case did air on Lifetime. I still have it saved on my DVR... It aired April 25th, 2011.

The story wasn't shown on the Robert Stack version on Lifetime. Lifetime is now showing many stories that they hadn't shown previously, though they are "Farinaized".

I have watched this segment a few times but i'm still confused. Was Tom seeing Tina behind his wife's back and he killed her to keep her quiet? If he did kill her what was his motive? Or was it just a random killing on Tom's part?

I had never seen this episode until recently. On the surface, it seems pretty obvious that Tom killed Tina. The fact that her tire appeared to have been cut deliberately and then he magically appears outside her work place to offer her a ride home is just too coincidental. What I cant wrap my brain around, is why in the world he would commit suicide in THAT fashion. I compare it to the way the authorities believed Dave Bocks committed suicide. Just way too unbelievable of a way to kill yourself, no matter if you are trying to make it look accidental or not.

Did authorities ever conclusively tie Tom to Tina's murder?

I had never seen this episode until recently. On the surface, it seems pretty obvious that Tom killed Tina. The fact that her tire appeared to have been cut deliberately and then he magically appears outside her work place to offer her a ride home is just too coincidental. What I cant wrap my brain around, is why in the world he would commit suicide in THAT fashion. I compare it to the way the authorities believed Dave Bocks committed suicide. Just way too unbelievable of a way to kill yourself, no matter if you are trying to make it look accidental or not.

Did authorities ever conclusively tie Tom to Tina's murder?

Earlier this year, completely under the radar, Tom Kueter's profile was moved to the "Solved" section of the UM website:
http://unsolved.com/archives/tom-kueter

It says that authorities now consider the case to be closed after investigating it for 18 years, but they offered no specifics. So I can only assume they're now 100 % certain that Tom murdered Tina, and then either committed suicide or suffered an accidental death. While it is a weird way to commit suicide, Tom ultimately did ensure that his family would receive an insurance payout because the court ruled there was no way to definitely prove that he killed himself.

Earlier this year, completely under the radar, Tom Kueter's profile was moved to the "Solved" section of the UM website:
http://unsolved.com/archives/tom-kueter

It says that authorities now consider the case to be closed after investigating it for 18 years, but they offered no specifics. So I can only assume they're now 100 % certain that Tom murdered Tina, and then either committed suicide or suffered an accidental death. While it is a weird way to commit suicide, Tom ultimately did ensure that his family would receive an insurance payout because the court ruled there was no way to definitely prove that he killed himself.

Wow, great find, Robin! Thanks for passing this along.

Or you could argue that Tina's family/friends knew that Tom killed her and then killed him in retaliation.

You guys know how fond I am of the "vigilante justice" stories that seem to lurk out there. Especially in rural Montana. :)

What I cant wrap my brain around, is why in the world he would commit suicide in THAT fashion. I have spent a lot of time thinking about that because it is so baffling. We have to realize that this wasn't the workings of someone in their right mind. Someone with a mind towards suicide is not thinking cogently. My theory is that he killed Tina. I'm guessing he had a thing for her and maybe he planned to be there to give her a ride home with hopes of more and made a sexual advance that she rebuffed to which he lashed out and killed her. Feeling the walls closing in and knowing the authorities suspected him he was thinking of a way out. He wanted his family to get the life insurance but it couldn't look like a suicide so he came up with this plan with the forklift thinking it would be ruled an accident. There are many ways it could have went wrong and he could have survived or been maimed but it just so happen to work out the way he hoped it would (meaning he died). We will of course never know exactly what happened but there is one theory.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about that because it is so baffling. We have to realize that this wasn't the workings of someone in their right mind. Someone with a mind towards suicide is not thinking cogently. My theory is that he killed Tina. I'm guessing he had a thing for her and maybe he planned to be there to give her a ride home with hopes of more and made a sexual advance that she rebuffed to which he lashed out and killed her. Feeling the walls closing in and knowing the authorities suspected him he was thinking of a way out. He wanted his family to get the life insurance but it couldn't look like a suicide so he came up with this plan with the forklift thinking it would be ruled an accident. There are many ways it could have went wrong and he could have survived or been maimed but it just so happen to work out the way he hoped it would (meaning he died). We will of course never know exactly what happened but there is one theory.

I always thought this was exactly what happened.

To take a more nefarious tack, however, perhaps someone at Tom's place of employment thought he killed Tina and exacted their own brand of vigilante justice, but I don't recall if there was evidence pointing toward a suspect or even evidence of foul play.

I always thought this was exactly what happened.

I'll take that as a compliment. ;)

I have spent a lot of time thinking about that because it is so baffling. We have to realize that this wasn't the workings of someone in their right mind. Someone with a mind towards suicide is not thinking cogently. My theory is that he killed Tina. I'm guessing he had a thing for her and maybe he planned to be there to give her a ride home with hopes of more and made a sexual advance that she rebuffed to which he lashed out and killed her. Feeling the walls closing in and knowing the authorities suspected him he was thinking of a way out. He wanted his family to get the life insurance but it couldn't look like a suicide so he came up with this plan with the forklift thinking it would be ruled an accident. There are many ways it could have went wrong and he could have survived or been maimed but it just so happen to work out the way he hoped it would (meaning he died). We will of course never know exactly what happened but there is one theory.

Could be. I cant remember, but was this a small town where everyone knew everyone? If so, I could see a scenario where the local law enforcement may have known that Tom killed Tina but couldn't prove it without the body. Then, some of Tina's friends or family killed Tom and police decided to look the other way.

Could be. I cant remember, but was this a small town where everyone knew everyone? If so, I could see a scenario where the local law enforcement may have known that Tom killed Tina but couldn't prove it without the body. Then, some of Tina's friends or family killed Tom and police decided to look the other way.

That's precisely what I think happened. :(

That's precisely what I think happened. :(
Same.

I just can't believe the suicide scenario. I know there's potential that he wanted it to look like an accident, but letting a forklift crush your head? I just can't believe that.

The wild thing about this case is that Tina was on the phone when Tom pulled up to offer her a ride. If she hadn't been and let her friend know who was there to give her a ride, it's possible that Tom could have gotten away with this scot-free.

My God, what a gruesome death. A forklift running over his head. Let's hope he got rid of his mullet beforehand.

It is obvious Kueter killed Tina Marcotte, but Tom's death was probably accidental as the plant was investigated and the forklift was found to have had malfunctioning brakes. The police dismissed that theory because they say he was "agile" enough to get out of the way but that's pure speculation. (Possibly the police also wanted to avoid dealing with alphabet agencies like OSHA as much as possible).

The theory that he was killed as payback by someone else seems even more unlikely since Tina had only been missing for a couple of days and her remains weren't discovered until more than a year later. At that point nobody even knew for sure she was dead.

Workplace accident is the most likely scenario by far.

Do you know which episode this is? UM wiki says it aired 1/5/96. I don't see it in the season 3-12 guide

Do you know which episode this is? UM wiki says it aired 1/5/96. I don't see it in the season 3-12 guide

Season 8. Episode 7.

Season 8. Episode 7.

Thank you! Here's the official YT link

https://youtu.be/EG5zp0SgRHQ?t=128

I have spent a lot of time thinking about that because it is so baffling. We have to realize that this wasn't the workings of someone in their right mind. Someone with a mind towards suicide is not thinking cogently. My theory is that he killed Tina. I'm guessing he had a thing for her and maybe he planned to be there to give her a ride home with hopes of more and made a sexual advance that she rebuffed to which he lashed out and killed her. Feeling the walls closing in and knowing the authorities suspected him he was thinking of a way out. He wanted his family to get the life insurance but it couldn't look like a suicide so he came up with this plan with the forklift thinking it would be ruled an accident. There are many ways it could have went wrong and he could have survived or been maimed but it just so happen to work out the way he hoped it would (meaning he died). We will of course never know exactly what happened but there is one theory.

This is what I believe happened.

The theory that he was killed as payback by someone else seems even more unlikely since Tina had only been missing for a couple of days and her remains weren't discovered until more than a year later. At that point nobody even knew for sure she was dead.


They did know Tom was behind it right away because of Tina's phone call to her friend, and he was acting extremely suspicious from day one

I am in the Crystal Dawn camp that Tom committed suicide with the forklift. He had undergone special training on it and was probably one of the only people on the job site that knew the inner workings of how to operate that fork lift, including that it had an inoperable parking brake.

Yes, it's hard to believe someone would willingly allow their head to be run over, but people who commit suicide often do irrational things.

I didn't know Tina's body was found at hidden at Tom's workplace. I guess he committed suicide, that's one hell of a bad way to die..

I didn't know Tina's body was found at hidden at Tom's workplace. I guess he committed suicide, that's one hell of a bad way to die..

Here's the update on the Unsolved website:

Update:

Four and a half years after Tom Kueter’s death, his wife Nancy finally received insurance death benefits. A judge ruled there was not enough evidence to prove that Tom committed suicide. Sixteen months after Tina Marcotte disappeared, her body was found under a woodpile at Tom’s workplace. She had been hit on the head with a blunt object. Detectives continued to investigate this case for the next 18 years. They now consider the case closed.

So detectives think Tom committed suicide, insurance company aren't so sure. We have no motive or suspects in Tom's death. This case is one of the better ones in UM later years.