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Dear Editor,
I would like to address a rumor going around town in regards to the death of my husband, Jeff Biernesser. Here are the facts: Sheriff Howell’s office was notified that Jeff’s van was found on property that my father owned. I was in the Sheriff’s Office when Shelia let Sheriff Howell know. However, that information wasn’t shared with me at that time.
Jeff’s van was found by neighbors of the property, but the neighbor did not walk the property. The first people on the scene were members of the Sheriff’s Office. I received a visit to my house from Bro. Jeff Fuller; not only a dear family friend, but also our pastor; who told me Jeff had been found but was told by the sheriff not to inform me of any details.
My parents were asked to come to my house, and my dad decided to go down County Road 3 because he could speed faster that way versus the other way we typically drive. When my parents got on 3, they saw the patrol cars and stopped. My dad got out and asked my momma to go to my house.
I was given the news almost 2 hours later that Jeff had committed suicide. I asked if I would be able to have an open casket, and my children witnessed our sheriff make a hand gesture of pointing a gun into his mouth when he told me yes.
It is a well known fact that the sheriff and my dad do not get along. The sheriff turned our personal family tragedy into a death investigation because the death happened on my dad’s property and with a gun my dad had gifted me several years before this. The investigation was closed because the medical examiner with the state ruled it as an obvious suicide.
I’m not sure who with the Sheriff’s Office is telling people or who started the rumor to begin with that my dad found my husband, but that is a lie. What upsets me is the gossip and lies being told in this community. I have three children, and they hear this stuff.
My husband’s, their father’s, death is already hard on them. My children and I are struggling with his death and coping as best as we can, but now they have to deal with petty gossip from people on top of everything else. My children and I tend to keep to ourselves. We keep a small group of friends locally. This right here is the reason why.
Words affect people, and some of those people are minors who are already having to deal with a situation that they should have never had to experience. The people who started this rumor are clearly adults who know better and should be ashamed.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Biernesser
Rockford, Ala.
