The mysterious death of a Florida man has been solved, police say, after piecing together an elaborate suicide plot that included a weather balloon hoisting a gun into the sky.
Palm Beach Gardens police began investigating the death of Alan Jay Abrahamson as a homicide. His body was found with a bullet wound to his chest in a field near his country club home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on Jan. 25. Abrahamson, known to carry $200 to $300 in cash, had no cash in his wallet. His watch was missing. Police, who found no weapon or shell casings, began searching for suspects. They did find a pair of small scissors.
Surveillance video obtained a few days after the death shows Abrahamson's last moments: Wearing a long-sleeve sweatshirt, blue ball cap, shorts and sneakers, Abrahamson walks off of a sidewalk and off camera. Something was in his left hand. About 37 minutes passes. Then, a gunshot is heard.
An email found on Abrahamson's phone suggested he bought a weather balloon on Christmas day of last year. A purchase none of his friends could explain. He didn't have an interest in aerial photographer or meteorology. He also purchased helium tanks.
In February, police entertained the idea that Abrahamson's death might have been a suicide. The working theory became: He tied a gun to a string, attached it to the weather balloon, and once the shot was fired, the balloon carried the weapon away from the scene.
The mysterious death of a Florida man has been solved, police say, after piecing together an elaborate suicide plot that included a weather balloon hoisting a gun into the sky.
Palm Beach Gardens police began investigating the death of Alan Jay Abrahamson as a homicide. His body was found with a bullet wound to his chest in a field near his country club home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on Jan. 25. Abrahamson, known to carry $200 to $300 in cash, had no cash in his wallet. His watch was missing. Police, who found no weapon or shell casings, began searching for suspects. They did find a pair of small scissors.
Surveillance video obtained a few days after the death shows Abrahamson's last moments: Wearing a long-sleeve sweatshirt, blue ball cap, shorts and sneakers, Abrahamson walks off of a sidewalk and off camera. Something was in his left hand. About 37 minutes passes. Then, a gunshot is heard.
An email found on Abrahamson's phone suggested he bought a weather balloon on Christmas day of last year. A purchase none of his friends could explain. He didn't have an interest in aerial photographer or meteorology. He also purchased helium tanks.
In February, police entertained the idea that Abrahamson's death might have been a suicide. The working theory became: He tied a gun to a string, attached it to the weather balloon, and once the shot was fired, the balloon carried the weapon away from the scene.
