Medical Examiner: Montville Woman's Cause of Death Delayed

The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will not be making any determination on the cause of death of Tricia Beattie, Patch was told early this morning until “all the toxicology test results are in.”

The 36-year-old Montville native, recently living in Ledyard, was found dead in the waters off Bluff Point in Groton Saturday.

Toxicology could take 8 weeks or more, an OCME representative said.  State Police Eastern District Major Crimes Division is investigating the death, called “suspicious” by state police spokesman Lt. Paul Vance in a press release issued Sunday.

Vance has since said there is no new information and there would be none pending the “conclusion of the post mortem.”

The man who refers to himself as Beattie's husband, Scott Kuane II, did contact Montville Patch in the pre-dawn hours Monday, but return calls and messages have since not been answered.

They had been searching for her

A Facebook post by a friend of Beattie’s featured a photo of the mother of three daughters with this message early Saturday:

“This is Tricia Beattie. She went missing at 1:30 a.m. after leaving Mo’s in Gales Ferry this morning. She is driving a black four-door Kia with dealer plates. If you know anything please contact the Ledyard police dept."

Police said Beattie’s address was 372D Colonel Ledyard Highway in Ledyard. The residence is a trailer set back on a unpaved side road off the highway. Montville Patch was unsuccessful in speaking to anyone at the home. 

Police said Beattie was last seen at about 1 a.m. Saturday outside , a restaurant and bar at 1649 Route 12 in Gales Ferry, driving a black 2006 KIA Optima with Connecticut dealer plates. Initially police said they were searching for the car, but confirmed for Patch Sunday afternoon the car had been found, providing no further information.

Investigators are asking anyone who may have seen or spoken with Beattie on Friday or anyone with any relevant information to contact state police at (860) 848-6500. Information provided will be kept confidential.

Montville grad and stay-at-home mom

On her Facebook page, Beattie described herself as a ‘stay-at-home’ mother devoted to her three daughters, ages 5, 8 and 11 and it was with her eldest daughter that she was very involved in Girl Scouts.

“So sorry for your loss,” one Facebook post reads. “(Tricia) was a great person and will be loved and missed by all of us. I pray God gives (her family) the strength to get through this.”