Cause of death of township woman in 1911 may be changed to murder

Douglas R. Haney was looking for a summer home near Lansing, but ended up in Tecumseh working for justice in a closed case from 1911. The California resident and native of Alma visited Tecumseh Police Department on Thursday, May 21, to present evidence to Chief Troy Stern that Frances Kehoe was the victim of murder and not an accident.Frances, of Tecumseh Township, died on September 18 after being badly burned by a gasoline stove in her kitchen. Her death was not investigated, and listed as accidental.Haney believed Frances’ death was caused by her stepson, Andrew Philip Kehoe, who later killed 45 people, 38 of them children, in the largest school massacre in United States history. For the past 18 months, Haney has been gathering information about Andrew Kehoe, and his goal on Thursday was to have Tecumseh Police Department reopen the case to investigate the likelihood Frances was murdered.Haney was born in Bath and grew up in the nearby town of Alma, but during his childhood never knew the story of the Bath School bombing. During his summer home search in Michigan, 18 months ago, Haney decided to check the city of Bath.Memories of time spent with his grandparents drew him to the area, but the results of his Internet search showed him a part of Bath he never knew. The unfamiliar story of Andrew’s mass killing in 1927 horrified and mesmerized Haney.“I found out from my aunt that my grandfather was a first responder to the scene of the school,” said Haney. “He never talked about it, though.”Caught up in the story of Andrew and a town devastated by the loss of many of its children, Haney decided he would write a book how the residents of Bath survived the events of May 18, 1927.Researching the story, Haney read a great deal about Andrew, including his life in Tecumseh. The death of Frances, Andrew’s stepmother, especially stood out.Haney came to believe her death was not the accident it seemed. Studying Andrew’s relationship with his stepmother, his violent behavior, and his father’s behavior after the death of Frances, Haney concluded her death was not an accident.He alleged Andrew’s understanding of explosions and explosives began at a young age, making his stepmother’s death easily attributed to Andrew. The idea that Frances’ death was not listed as murder bothered Haney.In Haney’s mind, Frances did not receive the justice she was due in her death. He wanted to right a wrong from nearly 104 years in the past.Although the Lenawee County prosecutor’s office was not interested in working with him, Haney decided to contact Tecumseh Police Chief Troy Stern. An appointment for the two to meet and discuss Haney’s findings took place on Thursday, May 21.Haney drew up a timeline, and a list of facts and information to back up his belief Andrew murdered Frances. His hope was for the Tecumseh Police Department to reopen the case and declare that Andrew killed his stepmother.Traveling from California to be in Bath for the 88th anniversary of the Bath School bombing, Haney came south on May 21, to Tecumseh to meet with Stern. “Mr. Haney supplied me with a lot of information to go through,” Stern said. “There’s certainly some potential here. His case is very very unique. There is nothing on file because it is such an old case.”There is no evidence on file and no reports. With nothing on file anywhere except a death certificate, the only evidence available is limited documented information about Frances.The police department in 1911 did not keep the file because the case was investigated as an accident not a crime. Tecumseh Police Department is not required to keep files of suicides or accidents for more than five years, although TPD usually keeps those files for 25 to 30 years, according to Stern.“I don’t know that we will ever be able to get Frances Kehoe’s death certificate changed,” said Stern. “All we have to go on are instances documented from Kehoe’s life. It’s a difficult task, but not an impossible task.”What Stern can do after reviewing the information provided by Haney is to write a letter stating the Tecumseh Police Department believes Frances’ death was a murder committed by her stepson, Andrew.Reopening closed or cold cases does not happen often in Tecumseh. Changing a death certificate is a challenging task.The department needs specifics from the case, to pull the records for the original investigation. New DNA evidence often plays a large part in reopening and changing the outcome of a past case.“I’m sure a lot of cases involving accidental deaths, there may be more to the story,” Stern said. “A lot of success in a new investigation comes down to how much information was retained from the case.”Haney’s trip, both back in time and across the country, has opened a window on Tecumseh’s past. Only time will tell whether Haney’s goal of justice for Frances Kehoe can be realized.