HOUSTON – Michael Tinsley of Wallisville passed away in Saudi Arabia nearly two months ago, and his family has yet to receive his remains to give him a proper burial.
"We were close. My dad was my best friend," says his daughter, Lisa Hennekke of Katy. "He was my confidante, and I just want my dad home."
Tinsley died while working in Saudi for KBR as a construction manager.
Hennekke said she talked to her father a few days before his death and he said his workplace was under a high security alert. She said Tinsley appeared to be worried about that.
At first, Tinsley's cause of death was listed as unknown, but the Saudis held on to his remains. Finally Thursday, Hennekke got some disturbing news.
"I hear from the company that's helping me, and they tell me that they found something suspicious and his death's been ruled a homicide," says Hennekke. "Nothing as to why, what did you find?"
She's called the State Department, her congressman, and also KBR, but she's received no answers to any of her questions. The biggest ones she has are how did her father die and when will his remains be returned so the family can have some kind of closure?
"Here we are two months later and still no answers, and we can't put my dad to rest," says Hennekke.
Hennekke's family held a celebration of life service for her father, but says family and friends desperately want his remains returned to the United States.