Crime Scene Reconstruction Expert Witness & Forensic Consultant
Second Look Training and Forensic Consulting, LLC: ‘Pursuing the Truth, Wherever It Leads’ | Attorney at Law Magazine
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Tel: 919-360-3518
BALDWIN WAS A JUDGE BEFORE TAKING THE DCMEI COURSE. A TRUE “GOOD OL’ BOY”. HTTPS://CASE-LAW.VLEX.COM/VID/AMMONS-V-BALDWIN-NO-887684596
IN 2021 WE TRIED TO CONTACT CORONER JOSH POUNDERS VIA PHONE TO ASK HIM TO CHANGE TARA’S DEATH CAUSE TO UNDETERMINED, BUT HE WOULDN’T TAKE OUR CALL. WHEN WE SENT HIM AN E-MAIL, HE BLOCKED IT. HE DID THIS BEFORE THIS WEBSITE WAS CREATED. RATHER UNPROFESSIONAL CONDUCT BY A COUNTY CORONER.
Coroner Joshua Pounders refuses to communicate.
FACTS:
Independent forensic consultation has been conducted in this matter. This website does not solicit tips or conduct investigations.
On October 2, 2016, Tara Lynn Klimez was found deceased in her home. She had sustained a gunshot wound involving the non-dominant side of her head. The responding coroner initially recorded the cause of death as pending, indicating the need for toxicology results before any final determination could be made.
Despite this, and after the coroner departed the scene, Southaven Police Department officers closed the case as a suicide the same day. The case was marked “closed and cleared exceptionally” within approximately four hours of being opened. Images of the official documentation reflecting this closure are available on this site.
No autopsy was performed. No toxicology testing was completed prior to cremation. No gunshot residue testing, trajectory analysis, scene reconstruction, or victimology assessment was conducted. Physical evidence was not preserved, and the decedent’s electronic devices were not forensically examined. The spouse’s stated alibi was not documented as verified in the investigative record.
In the days following Tara’s death, we provided information we believed to be confidential to the assigned detective. We later became aware that details from those conversations were repeated back to us by the spouse, raising serious concerns about investigative integrity. Certain remarks made by law-enforcement personnel during this period were deeply troubling and inconsistent with a case officially ruled a suicide.
We waited for toxicology and pathology results that we were told were pending, only to later learn that no such testing had been completed. Against our wishes, Tara’s body was cremated shortly thereafter, eliminating the possibility of further post-mortem examination.
When we contacted law enforcement in early 2017 to inquire about investigative findings, we were informed that no investigation was underway and that the case was considered closed. Requests for clarification and records were repeatedly denied or ignored.
Over time, multiple independent forensic professionals reviewed available materials and identified findings inconsistent with the official suicide determination. These professional opinions were formally communicated to authorities but were rejected without substantive engagement.
Several individuals involved in the original response or supervisory chain subsequently left their positions. Despite leadership changes, requests for transparency and review have continued to be denied.
Since 2017, Tara’s family has contacted numerous state, federal, and international agencies, as well as journalists, seeking accountability and records access. During this period, we were repeatedly told that our concerns should be disregarded.
Additional unresolved issues include post-death use of Tara’s identity and credit, matters that have never been adequately explained.
Taken together, these facts raise serious concerns regarding investigative failures, denial of access to records, and the foreclosure of meaningful review. Our family continues to seek transparency, accountability, and an independent examination of the circumstances surrounding Tara Lynn Klimez’s death.
IT’S APPARENT NONE OF THESE AGENCIES ARE FAMILIAR WITH
THE MISSISSIPPI PUBLIC RECORDS ACT
Thomas William Wolf told Chris Wells not to allow Tara’s mother “or anyone” to have copies of Tara’s cremation records. We had to purchase copies of our daughter’s death certificate from MS Vital Statistics. Wells was wrong: IN THIS CASE, HIPPA DID NOT APPLY.
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Thomas William Wolf Misdirected the Death Scene.
Many former colleagues who worked with Tara and her husband were shocked by the official ruling that Tara took her own life. Those who knew her found that conclusion inconsistent with her character, state of mind, and future plans. Independent professional reviews conducted in later years identified unresolved forensic concerns that reinf
Many former colleagues who worked with Tara and her husband were shocked by the official ruling that Tara took her own life. Those who knew her found that conclusion inconsistent with her character, state of mind, and future plans. Independent professional reviews conducted in later years identified unresolved forensic concerns that reinforced those doubts.
Multiple individuals reported that Thomas Wolf was known to give inconsistent accounts of his whereabouts and to ask others to corroborate those accounts. During visits with the couple, we were troubled by statements he made about exercising power over others without regard for consequence. After marriage, Tara became increasingly isolated from family, a pattern commonly seen in abusive relationships.
Following Tara’s death, Thomas communicated extensively with family, friends, colleagues, law enforcement, and media. We observed a consistent effort to redirect blame toward Tara’s parents when they began asking questions. Despite the involvement of independent forensic professionals, Thomas has never sought to review their findings.
Thomas claimed he was out of state at the time of Tara’s death; however, this alibi was never independently verified. The home was heavily monitored with surveillance equipment, including cameras installed shortly before her death, which Tara had expressed discomfort about.
The circumstances of the police welfare check remain unexplained. The incident report does not document distress warranting forced entry, nor does it explain why family members were not contacted beforehand. These procedural decisions have never been satisfactorily addressed.
Shortly after Tara’s death, Thomas entered a new cohabitating relationship that later proved to have predated Tara’s passing. Financial records indicate that assets from Tara’s estate were subsequently used to acquire property and other purchases.
Taken together, these facts form the basis of the family’s continuing request for transparency, accountability, and an independent review of the failures surrounding Tara Lynn Klimez’s death.
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Former colleagues in Las Vegas, Memphis, and Southaven later told us they did not believe Tara took her own life and shared concerns about how she was treated in the relationship. Tara confided that she experienced financial control, including being required to turn over her paychecks and ask permission for even minor purchases. These are
Former colleagues in Las Vegas, Memphis, and Southaven later told us they did not believe Tara took her own life and shared concerns about how she was treated in the relationship. Tara confided that she experienced financial control, including being required to turn over her paychecks and ask permission for even minor purchases. These are recognized indicators of financial abuse.
We also observed behavior that suggested emotional instability when Thomas did not get his way. Tara had expressed distress about constant monitoring in their home; extensive surveillance cameras were installed in each residence they shared, allowing her movements to be viewed remotely. She made it clear that this made her uncomfortable.
Given this level of monitoring, we find it difficult to reconcile Thomas’s statement that he had not seen or heard from Tara for many hours prior to her death.
TARA HAD FUTURE PLANS!
SHE BROUGHT HER VIOLIN BACK TO SOUTHAVEN AFTER HER VISIT HOME IN CANADA, PLANNING TO TRADE IT UP AND RESUME LESSONS. AS A YOUNGSTER, SHE’D BEEN THE WINNER FOR HER AGE GROUP IN THE ADJUDICATED KIWANIS MUSIC FESTIVAL.
Tara was raised Catholic and lived her life guided by compassion and service. Helping others came naturally to her, and she was deeply committed to easing the suffering of those around her.
She was a long-time blood donor and volunteered in hospice care, where she comforted patients in their final days—bringing blankets and ice chips, help
Tara was raised Catholic and lived her life guided by compassion and service. Helping others came naturally to her, and she was deeply committed to easing the suffering of those around her.
She was a long-time blood donor and volunteered in hospice care, where she comforted patients in their final days—bringing blankets and ice chips, helping them write last letters, and sitting with those who had no close family present. Tara believed that no one should leave this world alone, and she stayed with patients until the very end.
In the years since Tara’s death, it has been painful to witness how many people she once considered close family or friends have distanced themselves rather than stand with us as we seek answers.
