Herkimer County Acting District Attorney Jeffrey Carpenter has announced that the death of Catherine Koestner, which occurred at the Forge Motel in Old Forge on August 25, was caused by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The announcement was made at a news conference held on Tuesday, October 2, following autopsy reports.
However, the investigation continues as officials try to determine whether the 30-year-old Proctor High School math teacher committed suicide or shot herself accidentally.
Joseph Moore, 50, of Clinton, who was in the motel room with Koestner at the time of the shooting, was interviewed by law enforcement officials and provided articles of his personal property for examination.
Investigators continue to characterize him as a witness in the investigation.
But, according to Carpenter, Moore has since retained counsel who has indicated that Moore will no longer cooperate with investigators.Because Moore is no longer cooperating with police, Carpenter and the investigative teams have lingering questions that, for now, will remain unanswered.
“As a result, thereof, law enforcement will not be able to obtain answers to certain outstanding questions that we have, not only from the perspective of this investigation, but also those questions that remain from the family and the community at large,” Carpenter said.
During the press conference, Carpenter thanked state police, including members of the Violent Crime Investigation Team, the Forensic Investigation Unit, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Town of Webb Police Department and the Old Forge Fire Department and Ambulance Services as well as members of the district attorney’s staff for their participation in the investigation.
