Wife claims husband drowned on boat trip, but coroner finds lethal amount of Benadryl in system: Wife AND daughters under investigation for murder

An Idaho woman and her two daughters are under investigation for conspiracy to commit theft and murder after a coroner determined that the woman’s husband may have been killed, despite her claims that he likely drowned while on a boating trip.

KXLY reports that Laurcene ‘Lori” Isenberg reported her husband, 68-year-old Larry Isenberg, missing on February 13 after he went on a boating trip at Lake Coeur d’Alene. On March 1, authorities discovered his lifeless body in the lake.

According to the Lori Isenberg, her husband was feeling ill before the trip and could have had a “medical episode” or “mini stroke,” causing him to fall into the water. Yet, several of Larry’s friends told authorities that they communicated with him via text message prior to the boating trip and the he seemed healthy and in good spirits. Larry’s physician also told authorities that he was in good health, according to court documents.

One friend said she became alarmed, however, when Larry supposedly sent her a text message with a smiley emoji, something he has never used before. Lori, according to the friend, used emojis frequently when sending text messages.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Larry and indicated there were no “visible” signs that he had drowned or suffered from a stroke. Further, the autopsy report stated that Larry had “7,100 nanograms of diphenhydramine” (Benadryl) in his system, which is considered a lethal level, according to the coroner.

As Spokane authorities began investigating, they noticed Lorin Isenberg gave money constantly to her two daughters from a previous marriage, Jessica Barnes and Amber Hosking. Investigators also determined that on January 11, someone altered Larry’s will in handwriting to reflect that Lori Isenberg’s children would receive 80% of his assets, while his own children would receive 20%.

Michael Holmes, a friend of the family, told investigators that “the only tension he knew of between Larry and Lori was her constant enabling and giving of money to help out her daughters,” according to KHQ.

Authorities stated that Lori Isenberg’s criminal past showed that she was accused of forging checks, laundering money, and using company funds to buy personal items while working at the North Idaho Housing Coalition (NIHC). Her daughter, Hosking, reportedly worked at the company as well, as a data entry assistant.

Lori Isenberg was arrested in February, in Kootenai County, Idaho, for forgery, theft [Photo: Police Handout]
Court records indicate that Lori Isenberg’s alleged illegal activities came to surface around the same time Larry disappeared on the boating trip. The day after her husband vanished, she allegedly wrote NIHC a letter, stating, she should be “punished for what she did and she would cooperate by telling the NIHC everything after Larry’s memorial service.”

Lori Isenberg and her daughters are now persons of interest in connection to Larry’s death. Authorities also stated the three women are under suspicion of conspiracy to commit first degree theft.

Lori Isenberg was charged with theft in February, stemming from the alleged incident at NIHC, but she failed to appear in court in May and authorities have not been able to locate her. Spokane authorities put a $500,000 bench warrant for her arrest.

Meanwhile, detectives continue to investigate Lori Isenberg’s daughters, in an attempt to “include or exclude” them from suspicion of murder and theft.

[Feature Photo: Lori Isenberg, Larry Isenberg/Facebook]