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A Long Island public defender was found dead while he was visiting the Turks and Caicos Islands – and his death is under investigation for murder, local police said.
Marie Kuhnla, 61, of Wantagh, reportedly missing on October 15 and the next day, her body was found in bushes near a Club Med complex in Leeward, according to the Royal Police of Turks and Caicos Islands .
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Mary's family and friends right now. This is an active investigation into the death of Mary and I would ask anyone with any information to please contact the investigators of the Serious Crimes Unit, "Trevor Botting Acting Commissioner of the Force said on Monday. .
Kuhnla, a lawyer with the Suffolk County Legal Aid Society, was staying at Club Med, confirmed the complex.
It was a "loving, caring and compassionate woman that I was fortunate to have for a mother," said her son, Richard Kuhnla Jr., in a statement to ABC News.
"Even though I understand that the story focuses on the circumstances of my mother's death, I would like to take a few moments to talk about her life," said Kuhnla Jr. "If she saw anybody who needed she would help them … My mother frequently visited her elderly mother to take her to eat and keep her company. She returned to school later in life to obtain her law degree and spent more than 15 years as a public defender, providing legal assistance to those who could not afford it.
"She was a wonderful woman who lit up the day of all who knew her and many others who did not know her," he added. "She may have left but the impact she has had on the world and the inspiration she's provided are certainly not."
Kuhnla was traveling with a colleague and at least one other person, his brother Peter John Chetuck, told Newsday.
Her friends tried to denounce her Sunday, but the local police told them to wait 24 hours, Chetuck said.
"At that time, it would seem that his friends and the Club Med people are doing their own work helping to research," Chetuck told Newsday, adding that since then the authorities had "very close lips" .
Chetuck called her sister a "wonderful woman, great mother, amazing family member".
"The authorities of the Turks and Caicos Islands are taking the lead on this issue and we are cooperating closely with the local authorities," Club Med said in a statement.
The US State Department said it was aware of Kuhnla's death.
