Timothy Englehardt, a 22-year-old aspiring meteorologist from Holly Hill, Florida, died on September 13, 2014, from a gunshot wound to the head. The incident occurred at a friend's home where Englehardt was found on the front porch with a fatal injury. Initially, the authorities received a call reporting an attempted suicide and a gunshot fired. Four people were present in the house at the time, and one of them, Stephanie Lauber, made the 911 call, stating that Englehardt had been upset and making suicidal statements before the incident. Lauber mentioned that she believed the gun was not loaded at the time.
Englehardt's family, however, strongly disputed the suicide claim. His father, Bill Englehardt, emphasized that Timothy had spoken to his grandmother just 40 minutes before the shooting, asking her to buy him a plane ticket to Massachusetts for Thanksgiving. The family insisted that Timothy, who was a senior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, had no reason to take his own life and had everything to live for.
The police investigation revealed that Jacob Eldred, a 26-year-old friend, was present with Englehardt and Lauber on the porch when the shooting occurred. Eldred was initially charged with improper exhibition of a firearm, a first-degree misdemeanor. According to the police, Eldred had removed the magazine from his .45 caliber firearm and was pointing it at himself while discussing his own past suicidal thoughts. Englehardt allegedly grabbed the barrel of the gun, pulling it towards his head, which resulted in the weapon firing.
Despite the initial charge, the Florida State Attorney's Office later decided not to pursue the case against Eldred, dropping the misdemeanor charge. This decision further fueled the family's belief that there was a cover-up involved. Bill Englehardt expressed his outrage, describing the police report as a "whitewash" and full of lies. The family decided to hire a private investigator to re-examine the circumstances surrounding Timothy's death, seeking justice and the truth about what really happened.
