Suvechha Sarkar
On a chilly February morning in 2018, tragedy struck in the middle of the waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene in northern Idaho. Larry Isenberg was out on the waters with his wife, enjoying a beautiful sunrise, when his life came to a sudden halt. What initially seemed a heartbreaking accident soon unraveled into a tale of betrayal and financial fraud. NBC’s ‘Dateline: Kill Switch’ delves deeper into the puzzling details of the case and how the investigation revealed the killer to be someone closest to him. It also features interviews with the officials involved in the case and his loved ones.
Larry Isenberg’s Life Was Marked by Hard Work and Devotion to His Family
Larry Isenberg was born sometime in 1950 in Northern Idaho and arrived as a bundle of joy in the lives of his parents. Growing up, he was always surrounded by their love and support. He moved forward to earn a degree in Forestry from the University of Idaho, helping him launch a career in the lumber industry. In his 36-year professional life, he worked as a Field Forester and held senior corporate management roles. Larry later specialized in Wildfire Mitigation, Timber Taxation, and Land-use Planning, among many others. In 1974, Larry got married and welcomed his two children, Jessica and Dean, into the world. While working for a timber company, Larry met Laurcene Barnes, AKA Lori, whom he had hired as his secretary. Eventually, they grew closer, and Larry separated from his first wife.
Larry and Lori tied the knot in 2004, which blended their family since the latter had six daughters from her previous marriage. Five among them were Jessica F. Barnes, Amber A. Hosking, April E. Barnes, Traci Tesch, and Chrislyn. They settled at a retreat in the south of town. In his free time, Larry loved indulging in activities like hunting, fishing, and traveling. By 2018, Larry had retired and was tracking the household investments while Lori was serving as the head of the non-profit organization, North Idaho Housing Coalition (NIHC). However, Larry’s perfect life was turned upside down on February 13, 2018. He had decided to set out to Lake Coeur d’Alene to watch the sunrise with Lori before heading to a local resort to celebrate with a Valentine’s Day breakfast.
Larry Isenberg’s Remains Were Found Along the Lakeshore Two Weeks Later
Larry and Lori took off around 6:40 am after he sent a sunrise picture to his son, Dean. Around 10:23 am, Lori frantically called 911 to inform them Larry had fallen overboard after what she believed to be a stroke. Officials arrived after tracking the boat’s location at Powderhorn Bay through the cell phone towers. Lori claimed that she had tried to grab him to prevent him from falling, but when she tried to get out, she injured her nose, leading to a nosebleed. The authorities soon jumped into action to find his remains underwater. However, there were no signs of Larry. Authorities found a bottle of Benadryl in his driver’s console and also found a bottle of juice inside Lori’s purse.
Ultimately, on March 1, 2018, a resident on the lakefront noticed something on the shore. When law enforcement arrived, they discovered it was Larry. After an autopsy was conducted, the examiner found no water in his lungs, indicating that he might have suffered a stroke or heart attack before falling into the water, as Lori had mentioned. Hence, his cause of death remained undetermined. However, when the toxicology report arrived days later, it determined his cause of death to be from Diphenhydramine toxicity, which is commonly known as Benadryl overdose. It reportedly mentioned that 7,100 nanograms per milliliter of that substance was present in his blood, which was a lethal dosage.
Money Embezzlement and Forgery Outed the Double Life of Larry’s Killer
After Larry reportedly fell overboard, investigators first questioned Lori. She claimed that his hands had slipped off the handle, accidentally pressing the kill switch and bending the ignition key. Lori alleged that when he went out to turn on the motor, he looked at her with his face turned grey and tumbled over into the water. Furthermore, she alleged that Larry had taken the photo, which was sent to Dean. As his death investigation continued, authorities confiscated her computer and electronics on February 23, 2018, for an unrelated case. On February 26, she was arrested on one count of grand theft and 40 counts of forgery. It was revealed that Lori had forged cheque signatures and stolen thousands of dollars from NIHC. When the truth came out in her workplace, she was first placed on administrative leave before being fired for good.
An investigation revealed that Lori had stolen money for three years. Word had gotten out, and the news was set to appear in the headlines on the morning of February 13, 2018. However, Larry had no idea about the situation before he passed away. FBI investigation uncovered a link of $579,495.75 to Lori, which she reportedly embezzled by creating shell companies in the names of his daughters — Traci, April, and Jessica. She had also given some money to her daughter Amber. Lori was later released on a $75,000 bail. She had reportedly decided to move away from her home after the incident. On May 25, 2018, she skipped her bail hearing, and the authorities were unable to track her. One of Lori’s numbers led them to a home in Seattle, where she could not be found.
Toxicology Report and Google Searches Brought Larry’s Killer to Justice
Another of Lori’s numbers was traced to her sister’s home in California, but she was also not present there. Months later, on July 25, 2018, she turned herself in on the grand theft/embezzlement charges. Meanwhile, the investigation of Larry’s death continued. Detectives discovered that the photo sent to Dean on the fateful day was actually taken by Lori and then airdropped to Larry’s phone. They also found her Google searches before their trip to the lake were related to water currents, drowning, and boat accidents. Furthermore, officials believed the juice bottle that was in her purse at the scene was an easy way for her to dissolve the Benadryl found in Larry’s car and overdose him.
If Larry had drunk that, he could have easily felt dizzy and foggy, putting him at risk of falling into the water. Lori first pleaded guilty in January 2019 to three counts of wire fraud and one count of theft from a federal program. On April 30, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison, 3 years of supervised release after serving time, and ordered to pay restitution of $579,495.75, along with a $20,000 fine. Lori was initially charged with first-degree murder through the use of poison in February 2020. However, she entered an Alford Plea in February 2021 to the charge of second-degree murder.
The Alford Plea allowed Lori to maintain her innocence while accepting that the prosecutors had enough evidence against her to secure a conviction. In the end, on May 24, 2021, she was sentenced to 30 to life imprisonment, which means she will become eligible for parole after 30 years. This sentence was to be served consecutively after her 5-year term in federal prison. According to the records, she was released from federal custody on February 2, 2023. So, today, Lori is serving her time at Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center in Pocatello, Idaho, with her parole eligibility date being February 22, 2050.
Read More: Where is Lori Isenberg Now?
