Patrick Tymoch

Patrick Tymoch, a man remembered by friends as a kind-hearted "big teddy bear" and the "nicest guy you could ever meet," was 51 years old when his life was tragically cut short. Known to loved ones by nicknames like "Big Red" and "Big Poppa," Patrick was a graduate of Saint Joseph Regional High School. His friends and family recall a warm and caring person who is deeply missed every day.

On Tuesday, February 1, 2022, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office was called to perform a welfare check at a home on Bentwood Lane in the quiet Willow Bend subdivision of Fort Walton Beach, Florida. When deputies were unable to make contact with anyone inside the residence, they entered and made a grim discovery. Inside the home of 52-year-old Annastacia Merrell, they found her and her co-worker, Patrick Tymoch, deceased. Investigators believe the two were killed a day earlier, on Monday, January 31.

The investigation determined that both Patrick and Annastacia had been shot to death, each appearing to have suffered a single gunshot wound. Autopsies were scheduled to confirm the exact cause and manner of death. The violent nature of the crime shocked the neighborhood, which residents described as a place with very little police activity. The focus of the investigation quickly turned to 47-year-old Chad Ankenbrand, who was identified as Annastacia's estranged boyfriend and lived at the Bentwood Lane home.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office named Ankenbrand a person of interest in what they described as a domestic violence-related double homicide. An alert was issued to the public, warning that Ankenbrand was considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. He was initially believed to be driving his black Ford Mustang convertible, which was missing its back window and passenger-side mirror. The car was later found abandoned at a home east of Crestview. Investigators learned that Ankenbrand had sold the car on the Monday the shootings were believed to have occurred. The person who bought it contacted law enforcement after realizing the vehicle and its former owner were part of a major investigation.

Investigators then determined Ankenbrand had fled in Annastacia's vehicle, a 2013 silver Nissan Juke. They believed he was attempting to travel to Illinois, where he had connections. The search for Ankenbrand came to an end on Wednesday, February 2, two days after the killings. He was found deceased inside the Nissan Juke in Gibson County, Indiana, not far from the Illinois state line. Authorities reported he died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

With the death of the primary suspect, the criminal case was effectively closed. The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office stated that its investigation into the shooting would continue to determine all the facts surrounding the tragic deaths of Patrick Tymoch and Annastacia Merrell. Friends and family were left to mourn the sudden and violent loss of two lives. One friend wrote in an online memorial for Patrick, "Big Bro I will miss you everyday...forever," while another added, "Not a day goes by that I don't think of you!"