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Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered is scheduled to revisit the shocking murder case of Raymond Kotomski's death from antifreeze poisoning in an episode titled Something Sweet on June 8, 2022.
The official synopsis of the upcoming episode states:
"On a warm August day, Ray Kotomski quenched his thirst with a cool drink. Kotomski was dead within hours. Investigators had to figure out what killed the happily retired Pennsylvania man, and also whether this was even a crime at all."
Kotomski's death in 2009 due to unforseeable reasons left the local Pierpoint, Ohio community shaken and in shambles. On the morning of August 13, Raymond's former mother-in-law found him in distress in his Ohio home, immediately after which she called her daughter and the victim's ex-wife Teresa, who then called an ambulance.
According to reports, doctors discovered that the victim's blood contained traces of ethylene glycol (ingredients used to produce antifreeze), upon which they drew the conclusion that Raymond was brain dead, with bleak chances of survival. As per the autopsy report, he ultimately succumbed to antifreeze poisoning.
After a challenging/disputed murder trial and years of waiting, the ex-wife Teresa was found guilty of murdering Kotomski and was eventually sentenced to life in prison.
What exactly happened to Raymond Kotomski?
While antifreeze poisoning may not be a common form of death, Raymond Kotomski was one of the many victims of the chemical poisoning that gradually occurred over the course of several hours.
When Raymond Kotomski was found in distress at his Pierpoint, Ohio home, he was immediately rushed to the hospital and died a few days later after going through extensive treatment. The former corrections officer died as a result of antifreeze poisoning, a harmful substance mostly used to prevent car radiators from either overheating or freezing up.
Due to insufficient evidence, Raymond's death investigation initially turned out to be extremely complicated. Cops soon realised it was their job to attain the nearly impossible task of ascertaining all the possible ways that the antifreeze entered Kotomski's system immediately after receiving the autopsy results.
Investigation reports also state that the ex-wife tried to push forward the notion of suicide, revealing to the authorities that prior to his death, the victim allegedly contacted her brother, declaring that his life was pointless without Teresa and the grandchildren as a part of it.
While the victim's family refused to believe the suicide theory, they also stated their adamant refusal to take him off life support (Raymond was brain dead a few days after the incident). Teresa, on the other hand, supported the idea and made the ultimate decision to turn off the machine in the absence of family members.
Raymond Kotomski's ex-wife Mary Lou Kotomski revealed in an interview:
"That really threw red flags up to me. Her wanting to pull the plug right away and have him cremated right away. She didn’t want to have a funeral or anything. It was like … toss him in a bag and get rid of him. And at that point, I was like, something is totally wrong here."
Since it seemed improbable that the person had accidentally consumed the substance, the authorities immediately began investigating the possibility that it was either a suicide or a homicide. Teresa was first ruled out as a suspect by investigators, despite the fact that she provided physicians with critical information that he was poisoned by informing them that he consumed something sweet.
However, after a house search and the discovery of a bottle of open antifreeze without any fingerprints led the authorities to pursue the direction of a possible murder. After a 3-year-long break, the murder case was picked up leading to its continuation in 2014, when the authorities finally had enough evidence to push the case forward and arrest the accused.
Nearly five years after Raymond Kotomski's death, his ex-wife 54-year-old Teresa was found guilty of murder with all the evidence pointing in her direction. In 2015, she was sentenced to life in prison.
Catch the shocking revelations that unfolded during the controversial murder trial after Raymond Kotomski's death in the upcoming episode of Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered on June 8 at 8/7c.
