Shraman Mitra
In February 2018, the Idaho police received an alarming call from Lori Isenberg, who claimed that she and her husband, Larry Isenberg, were sailing on Lake Coeur d’Alene when he suddenly went overboard. However, medical examination told a different story once the body was recovered, and authorities were convinced there was more to the matter. ‘Dateline: Kill Switch’ recounts the horrifying death and shows how the investigation unraveled a sinister murder plot. Let’s take a detailed look at the case and find out more, shall we?
How did Larry Isenberg Die?
Larry Isenberg was a happy-go-lucky person who enjoyed living life. He was married to Lori Isenberg and even had two children from a previous marriage. Life with Lori was quite happy for the 68-year-old, and the couple seemed to be very much in love. In fact, shortly before the murder, Lori and Larry had gone off on a trip to Florida, where they enjoyed themselves to the fullest. It was indeed a dark day when the world lost such a cheerful soul.
On February 13, 2018, Lori and Larry decided to take a boat out to Lake Coeur d’Alene in order to watch the sunrise from a spot called the Sun-Up Bay. The tragedy that followed was quite difficult to believe as the Lake is usually calm and serene. Shortly after sailing out, Lori called 911 from Larry’s cellphone and seemed quite shaken when she mentioned how her husband had fallen overboard. Lori even stated that she had tried but in vain to locate her husband in the water and asked for some help.
Emergency services immediately reached the area, but Larry was nowhere to be found. Initial searches of the Lake did not help locate his body, and authorities were at a loss. Still, they stuck to an exhaustive search routine, and after two weeks, on March 1, 2018, Larry’s body was recovered from Lake Coeur d’Alene. Surprisingly, an autopsy of the body contradicted Lori’s statement as medical examiners found that Larry had been drugged by over 7,000 nanograms of diphenhydramine (70 times the usual dosage). Additionally, examiners found no proof of death from drowning.
Who Killed Larry Isenberg?
Surprisingly, just weeks after Larry’s death, Lori was found to be embezzling money from the North Idaho Housing Coalition. Investigators also found that four of Lori’s daughters were involved in the crime as the stolen money was distributed among them. However, by the time Lori was charged with fraud, she had disappeared off the face of the earth. Authorities tried to locate her for two months before Lori suddenly resurfaced and turned herself in.
Moreover, Lori’s behavior leading up to and after the murder was quite suspicious. For starters, in January 2018, someone made a handwritten change to Larry’s will in order to give Lori’s daughters 80% of his assets while Larry’s own children would be left with 20%. Furthermore, Lori had earlier mentioned that her husband had the flu and almost had a mini-stroke. A family friend, Holmes, also received the same message from Larry’s phone where Larry allegedly claimed to be feeling better. However, this confused Holmes as Larry had never talked about having the flu or mini-stroke in the past.
Additionally, Lori seemed to be in a real hurry to sell the house and move out after Larry’s death. The show even states that she tried to liquidate the couples’ assets and joint accounts. Thus, putting two and two together, the police realized that Lori was involved in her husband’s death. However, while the murder investigation was ongoing, Lori pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced to five years in prison. Thus, while still serving her sentence for fraud, Lori was charged with the murder of her husband. Once produced in court, Lori submitted an Alford plea to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 30 years in 2021.
Read More: Where Is Lori Isenberg Now?
