Thelma Krull's husband seeks court order declaring her dead
'I have no reason to believe Thelma is living,' Robert Krull says in court document
The husband of a Winnipeg woman who mysteriously vanished while out walking two years ago says he has no reason to believe she's alive and is asking the courts to declare her presumed dead.
Thelma Krull's husband, Robert, filed an application in the Court of Queen's Bench this week seeking a judge's order under Manitoba's Presumption of Death Act to declare his longtime wife deceased so that he can deal with her estate.
Despite efforts by her family, community and police to locate her over the last two years, she's never been seen again.
In a sworn affidavit, Robert paints a portrait of his wife as a woman in good health and with no history of mental problems. She got along well with others and had no serious conflicts with family or with co-workers, he states.
Prior to vanishing, "Thelma did not have any serious financial, employment or other legal problems and her disappearance was completely out of character for her," he says.
'It doesn't look good': police
In the document, Robert breaks down the timeline of the case, and provides media articles that documented material developments that have taken place over the years.
These include the fundraising of a $20,000 reward to help find Thelma, fruitless community searches and a recent update from city police, where they provided a sketch of a potential suspect they say she may have been in a physical altercation with not long after she left home.
Robert says his belief Thelma is dead was influenced by comments a homicide detective made to reporters July 27 when asked if police believe she's still alive.
"The reality of it is, based on the circumstances of the information I have just presented to you ... and the fact that it's two years plus [since Krull's disappearance], it doesn't look good," he quotes Sgt. Wes Rommel as saying.
Robert also says there's been no activity in Thelma's email, Facebook, bank or credit card accounts since the date of her disappearance.
"Due to the investigation and comments from police … the fact that no one has heard from Thelma … [her] lack of online and banking activity, the failed attempts of members of the community to find [her] and the amount of media coverage regarding [her] disappearance without anyone having reported seeing her, I have no reason to believe Thelma is living," Robert states.
The application is set to go before a Court of Queen's Bench judge on Sept. 7.
Police suspect foul play
Police have said they believe foul play is involved in the case but on July 27 went further, saying they believe she was involved in the physical altercation with a large male suspect and forcibly taken from the area.
It happened shortly after she arrived at Civic Park, behind Kildonan-East Collegiate, around 8 a.m. on the date she was last seen, police said.
Several pieces of evidence, including Krull's glasses and cellphone, were found in that area.
Krull was seen with a heavy-set man in the area of Kimberly Avenue and Grey Street and appeared to be in distress, police said. They believe the man was either living in the area at the time or has access to a residence nearby.
"There was conflict between these two at the time," said Rommel, adding there have been no sightings of Krull beyond that area, which is why police think they went into a residence.
"I don't think it's possible that they walked a mile or, you know, a long distance."
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