A long-time married couple died while standing together in front of a train in Upstate New York. The pair met at 17 years of age and were faithfully married for 42 years. The two were 59-years-old when they died. Mary and Earl Myatt had two sons, Brad and Brian, and four grandchildren. Both Earl and Mary worked at Mohawk Valley Community College bookstores. Mary worked in Utica, and Earl worked in Rome.
Mary Myatt suffered a massive brain aneurysm in January of 2014. Afterward, she was placed in the intensive care unit of Upstate Hospital in Syracuse, New York. Mary underwent multiple surgeries, but still suffered brain trauma that irreparably damaged her ability to communicate. Her condition appeared to continually worsen. Her husband, Earl, was completely devoted to her. Syracuse.com reports that he would spend every day with her after work and became increasingly distraught as his wife of over four decades struggled to recover.
On Sunday, April 27th, Earl Wyatt called his son and said, “I love you,” before giving an ambiguous apology. His son, Brad Myatt, immediately knew something was awry. Earlier that day, Earl had picked up his wife at the Oneida Extended Care Facility to visit her grandchildren, and afterward he stood with his wife in front of a CSX train in the town of Verona, New York. In a horrific, yet almost cinematic scene, the train struck and killed both Earl and Mary Wyatt as they stood on the tracks. Police have ruled the deaths as a murder-suicide.
Earl and Mary Wyatt were considered lovestruck by friends and family. It is suspected that Earl’s mental condition deteriorated after his wife’s aneurysm. His mental condition prior to his wife’s accident had appeared quite positive. Video surveillance shows Earl bringing Mary to the tracks around 2pm that Sunday. Earl Myatt devoted his entire life to his family. His sons are urging the public to remember their father as a kind and loving man. They hope that his final moments will not tarnish his image among the community of which he was a part with his longtime partner and wife, Mary.
Police at WKTV have purportedly recovered a suicide note written by Earl Myatt, but have not released its contents. The tragic, romantic murder-suicide has shaken the family. The Federal Railroad Administration has said that over 3,000 railroad accidents occur each year. Many of those accidents involve injury and death. Every two hours there is a train accident in the USA. Most accidents occur at train-crossings that are under-serviced. Almost every accident includes property damage and includes a host of lawsuits, usually subject to various laws and legal standards. One of Earl and Mary Myatt’s children contacted the train conductor to apologize for the incident.
After months of battling with depression and distress, Earl Myatt made the decision to kill both himself and his recently disabled wife by standing in front of an oncoming train. The couple’s life together, much like their death, was presumably swift and relatively painless. It is uncertain at this time how authorities in the area will address issues of depression and suicide among the elderly.
By James Ryder
Sources:
Syracuse
NYDaily
Railroadclaims
