Noor Malhotra
One of the worst scenarios for a parent to be in is dealing with the loss of their child. It is much worse when the cause of death is not natural. Unfortunately, such was the fate that Teresa “Teri” Knight, the mother of 14-year-old Sarah Gehring and 11-year-old Philip Gehring, had to face. What is even more heartbreaking is that it was her ex-husband and the father of her two children, 44-year-old Manuel Gehring, who shot the kids. This case has been explored in Investigation Discovery’s ‘Evil Lives Here: I Don’t Believe in Forgiveness.’
Teri Knight and Manuel Gehring’s Divorce Was Acrimonious
Teri Knight first met a charming Manuel Gehring when the pair were both attending a boarding school in Vermont in 1979. They got married in 1985, but things soon crumbled apart, and they ended up getting a divorce in 2001. Since they already had two kids by this time, what ensued was a ferocious custody battle. However, Teri was moving forward and soon married James Knight, with whom she was expecting twins by 2003. As per their latest court hearing, it was Gehring who had more time with the children. However, he was still not content with this, stating the entire ordeal had created a “downward spiral” in his children’s lives, due to which he killed them.
The custody battle had both parents declaring their love of the children. Yet, when it came to Gehring, it seemed as if he could only talk the talk. That’s because Knight allegedly described her ex-husband as violent and controlling. She even referred to a complaint she had filed against him after he hit her while she was pregnant with their younger son, Philip, back in 1991. She reportedly also indicated he had an unhealthy interest in pornography and online chat rooms, owing to which she felt there may have even been sexual misconduct against their daughter at his hands. Nevertheless, no such charge was ever levied against Gehring due to a lack of evidence.
Knight also stated that Gehring only started becoming more active in his children’s lives after she got remarried. Up until then, the mother of two claimed in court, it was rather common for him to be late while picking them up for his scheduled visits and even forget big days like birthdays. 14-year-old Sarah’s boyfriend at the time stated that the father-daughter duo often argued too. In fact, the boyfriend’s father, a school administrator, backed this by adding Gehring was aggressive and wanted to know where his daughter was at all times. Though, no one could have ever imagined he would shoot both of his kids to death on July 4, 2023, before disposing them of. It was Teri who called the police on July 6 after her ex-husband failed to return the kids to her as scheduled.
Teri Knight Left No Stone Unturned in the Search for Her Children
It was not long after Sarah and Philip’s disappearance that Manuel Gehring was charged and arrested for their murder. He then simply told authorities that he had pulled off the highway in New Hampshire to shoot them, following which he buried their bodies somewhere in the Midwest along I-80. He did not remember the exact location of the burial sites, and after his death from suicide in February 2004 while he was awaiting trial, the task of finding the kids’ remains became even more challenging. Nevertheless, Teri did not give up. The nurse made trips to the Midwest and took it upon herself to contribute to the search efforts. She also sought help from the public.
Teri was able to alleviate some grief thanks to her family, especially with the birth of her twin daughters Molly and Mallory, yet she still searched for Sarah and Philip. Teri even had some painful dreams that she can never forget. One such dream involved her daughter screaming so uncontrollably that even after waking up, nothing gave the mother any solace. In another, she dreamt that “Philip and I were playing that game where you bundle them up in a blanket and open it up and say, ‘There you are.’ But when I opened up the blanket, he said, ‘Mommy, I’m so cold.’ When I woke up, I learned that that night snow fell on the Midwest. And I knew that as long as there was snow cover, nothing’s going to be found.”
It was in 2005 that the bodies of Teri’s deceased children were finally discovered in Hudson, Ohio, by Stephanie Dietrich and her dog Ricco. The New Hampshire resident was thankful, to say the least, that her children could be laid to rest properly. They had been wrapped in plastic and also had a cross made with duct tape on their chests. Teri went to the gravesite, however, she did not publicize the trip. She was asked if the identification, after a two-year struggle, gave her any relief. To this, she responded, “How does a mother say goodbye? There’s no proper way.”
Teri Knight Prefers to Stay Away From the Limelight
Since the case, Teri Knight has been quite private about her personal life. However, we do know the former practicing nurse now serves as an Assistant Nursing Professor at Rivier University in New Hampshire. She is also still married to James, with whom she has raised two beautiful young daughters who are currently building lives of their own. For her, all that matters these days is her loving family – so she seems to be doing her best to move on from the past while still keeping the memories of her late kids alive. We should also mention that she, along with her husband, were present at the FBI office when Stephanie was honored for her contribution to the case in 2006. We hope that Terri has found some peace after having faced this really traumatic experience.
Read More: Where is Stephanie Dietrich Now?
