Lawrence Krystynak still remembers the night his wife Nora went missing.
Mr. Krystynak and Nora had been married for twenty years. They lived with their son Alexei in Cleveland, Ohio, and Mr. Krystynak’s elderly father had recently come to stay with them as well.
Nora worked as a nurse, and in her spare time she enjoyed quilting and knitting. “She was spectacular,” Mr. Krystynak reminisces. “Made all kinds of stuff for her friends, and her friends’ babies. She was just a great kid. A great person. A fantastic individual.”
Part 1: A fantastic individual
Part 2: Quitting can be different this time
Part 3: Is suicide an expected event?
Part 4: Unnecessary public alarm
Part 5: Rages that make no sense at all
On that night in July 2014, Alexei was on vacation, staying with some friends in Florida, “having a blast” as his father recalls, and the Krystynaks were looking forward to spending some quality time together.
“It was just a perfect evening,” Mr. Krystynak says.
They went to bed at the usual time, around 9:00 PM, but Nora awakened suddenly in the middle of the night, saying she was worried that their son and Mr. Krystynak’s father were gone. Mr. Krystynak gently reminded his wife that their son was away in Florida, and then together they went to the elder Krystynak’s room and confirmed that he was indeed safe and sound in his bed. This seemed to reassure Nora, and the two of them went back to bed, but Nora awakened again and left the house abruptly without saying a word.
This was not a matter for concern. From time to time, Nora would arise in the middle of the night, go outside and smoke a cigarette, and then come back to bed. But this time, she didn’t return, and Mr. Krystynak went outside and realized that both his wife and her car were gone.
Even then, Mr. Krystynak recalls feeling more annoyed than worried. There was no reason to suspect anything was seriously amiss. His wife had no previous history of mental problems, substance abuse, or violence. She had recently sought treatment at Minute Clinic for a nagging cough, but other than that she had no health problems, nor any serious personal or financial problems. He called her cell phone and left a message. When she didn’t return the call, he notified the police, and an officer came to his house to take a statement.
As a matter of course, the officer asked Mr. Krystynak if his wife was on any medications. He said No, but then he remembered that she had recently resumed taking a medication to assist her in quitting smoking. She had tried this same medication several times before and it hadn’t helped, but she had decided to give it another go.
This news gave the officer pause. He himself had taken the same medication, he said, but he had to stop because it caused nightmarish flashbacks to his combat experiences in Iraq.
Both Nora and the officer who took her missing person report had been taking Pfizer’s blockbuster stop-smoking drug, Chantix.
Next: Part 2: “Quitting can be different this time”
