Neumar case closed: John Neumar's family reacts

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By Navideh Forghani nforghani@nbcaugusta.com

The results are in and the Richmond County Sheriff's office says it's dropping the investigation into the death of John Neumar.

The sheriff's office decided to look into John Neumar's death after his widow, Betty was charged with hiring someone to kill her fourth husband in North Carolina.

John Neumar's ashes were sent to a crime lab. The results revealed higher than usual levels of Barium, a heavy metal. Investigators say that's consistent with the type of medical treatment John Neumar was getting before his death.

It's been almost a year since John Neumar died. A year, his children spent wondering why Betty Neumar never told them their father had died.

"I was dumbfounded. I knew he wasn't feeling well after talking to him back in April. But no one ever got in touch with us to tell us how sick he was," said Kathy Scarlett, daughter.

His children found out about the death of their father in the obituaries last October. They say his body was cremated before they had the chance to say their goodbyes.

But in May, after Betty Neumar was charged with hiring someone to kill her fourth husband, Richmond County investigators decided to take a closer look at John Neumar's death.

They searched the couple's home and sent his cremated remains off for testing. His son hoped the results would answer some lingering questions.

"The anticipation, hoping that maybe you'll get a positive reaction because you want closure," said John Neumar, son.

But investigators say the results didn't show anything out of the ordinary. The tests showed high levels of a heavy metal called Barium. Levels, they say, are consistent with the type of medical treatment John Neumar was getting before he died. Answers Neumar's son finds disappointing.

"It still leaves me in limbo because of the way he was cremated so quickly. Even with modern technology, I guess we will never have closure," said Neumar.

Investigators say the case into John Neumar's death is closed, unless they get new evidence.

Investigators in Ohio and Florida are re-examining the deaths of three of five men Betty Neumar married and the death of her first son.

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