Joseph Theodore Letke Jr., a 57-year-old Caucasian male, died on August 31, 2016, in New Albany, Indiana. His death was the culmination of a life marked by professional success that became entangled with significant controversy and personal financial turmoil. Letke, a certified public accountant who had built his own firm, was found deceased at the home of his ex-wife from what authorities determined to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
At the scene, investigators discovered a five-page note believed to have been written by him, which, along with other evidence, led them to conclude his death was a suicide.
Letke’s final years were overshadowed by a lingering investigation into his role as a longtime bookkeeper and city comptroller in several south suburbs of Chicago. He was a central figure in a contentious development deal in Harvey, Illinois, where millions of taxpayer dollars were allocated for a project to transform a dilapidated motel into a Holiday Inn and conference center. The project ultimately failed, leaving the hotel partially gutted and the city burdened with millions in loan payments. Federal authorities had labeled the hotel project a 'scheme' and a 'fiasco,' and the investigation into the mismanagement and disappearance of funds was ongoing at the time of his death.
In the period leading up to his death, Joseph Letke was facing immense personal and financial pressures. He had filed for bankruptcy and was contending with allegations of business improprieties. He had also recently lost his home in Frankfort, Illinois, to foreclosure. His unexpected death brought an abrupt and unresolved end to the investigation into his financial dealings and the failed hotel project that had marred his professional reputation. There were no arrests or suspects in connection with his death, as all evidence pointed to suicide.
