John E. Neumar, Jr., a resident of Augusta, Georgia, passed away on Thursday, October 25, 2007, at the Veterans Administration Hospital. His death, however, would become the final chapter in a much larger and more sinister story that unfolded across multiple states and spanned several decades. Initially, Mr. Neumar's passing at the age of 79 was attributed to natural causes, with his death certificate citing sepsis, ischemic colitis, and ileus. He was a U.S.
Navy veteran and a retiree from the Lily Tulip Cup company.
The circumstances surrounding Neumar's death quickly raised suspicions, primarily due to the actions of his wife, Betty Johnson Neumar. John Neumar's son, John K. Neumar, was not notified of his father's death by his stepmother and only learned of it by reading the obituary. When he contacted Betty, he was informed that his father's body had already been cremated, a decision that was unsettling as his father had pre-purchased a burial plot. This lack of communication and hasty cremation fueled the family's concerns and brought the case to the attention of law enforcement.
The investigation into John Neumar's death gained significant momentum as authorities began to look into the life of his wife, who would later be dubbed the 'Black Widow Granny.' It was discovered that John Neumar was Betty's fifth husband, and all four of her previous husbands had also died under violent or suspicious circumstances. This pattern of deceased spouses led to a multi-state investigation into Betty Neumar's past. While she was residing in Augusta with John Neumar at the time of his death, her history of deceased husbands stretched back to the 1950s and included deaths in New York, Florida, and North Carolina.
In connection with the death of her fourth husband, Harold Gentry, who was shot to death in North Carolina in 1986, Betty Neumar was charged with three counts of solicitation to commit first-degree murder. This charge stemmed from allegations that she had attempted to hire a hitman to kill Gentry. As a result of this charge, investigators in Georgia decided to re-examine the death of John Neumar. His cremated remains were seized and tested for substances like arsenic, as the symptoms he presented at the time of his death were consistent with poisoning. However, the tests on his ashes came back negative for any foul play.
Ultimately, Georgia authorities closed their investigation into John Neumar's death, stating they had no evidence to prove his wife was involved. While the families of her other deceased husbands continued to seek answers and justice, the legal proceedings against Betty Neumar in North Carolina for the death of Harold Gentry were cut short. Before she could stand trial, Betty Neumar died of cancer on June 13, 2011, taking with her any secrets she may have held about the deaths of her five husbands. No arrests were ever made in connection with the death of John Neumar.
