TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - The family of a Tallahassee man who lost his life in 2012 is still asking questions and wanting answers three years later, saying they don't believe the Sheriff's Office decision to rule his death as a suicide.
David Salter's body was found in an abandoned silver pickup truck in the woods off of Highway 20 and inside was Salter's body, shot 4 times.
Suzanne Salter, sister-in-law of David Salter says, "[Officers] didn't really tell us a lot when they came out. They didn't tell us that he was shot four times. They didn't tell us anything."
According to the incident report, a resident told authorities that they heard two men yelling the night before near where the truck was found. A witness also told them that they heard a car drive off and then someone yell, "Get out of here."
When the family found out he was dead, Suzanne Salter said, "We were here at the house, we were sitting on the porch waiting for them. When they told us we were in shock, we didn't really know what to think because we had just seen him the Friday before. He looked good and was in good spirits."
The autopsy report said that Salter died of multiple "rifle gun shot wounds," two shots to his chest, one to his left arm, and a final shot to his abdomen. And records show the gun was found on the ground 15 feet away from the truck.
Reports also show that Salter's clothing was wet and torn, with his socks soaked, and his body covered in insect bites. He also had scratch marks on his stomach and arms.
All these incidents have Salter's family asking, why would someone who was trying to commit suicide fire a weapon in such an abstract pattern and why was the weapon found so far away from Salter's body?
To try and answer those questions the family hired private investigator, Beau Webster.
Webster says, "I went out to the crime scene, and I looked at everything…I took photographs, and I determined that it just didn't look good…it looked like a possible murder scene."
When Webster recreated the scene he even used the same gun, a 22 inch caliber rifle. Webster says that because of the length of the gun, someone with shorter arms would have trouble pulling the trigger, "I sat in my office and I tried to do it, and I have longer arms and I was barely able to squeeze the trigger."
Webster says he has other doubts about the suicide decision as well, "According to the pathologist, the body was covered in insects and ants. I just have a hard time believing that if you're inside of a truck or a vehicle, how insects can just cover your body so quickly…"
Salter's Sister-In-Law, Suzanne Salter, says, "It was very heart breaking, it tore this family apart really, and both emotionally and physically it did. Not knowing what happened to him. No one shoots themselves four times to kill themselves…"
The detective who led the investigation no longer works at the Leon County Sheriff's Office, but WTXL was able to speak with the department about the case.
The Sheriff's Office says that although the case is closed, "This classification only means that all records have been documented to the fullest at this time."
The Office also says, "They are faced with the question 'Why did this happen?' in many death investigations..."
And while many times, they can't provide an answer, they say that any case can be reopened if new information or witness interviews develop.
Tim Bruce, best friend of David Salter, "There's no way David could've of… He's just a regular guy, he couldn't have committed suicide. People do still care…."
Not ready to accept the finding's of the Leon County Sheriff's Office investigation, family and friends of Salter are now offering a reward, for any one who might have more information about the night Salter died. If you have any information regarding the investigation, you can contact: websters@embarqmail.com.
