Sad News: Frank Meza Found Dead In LA River

Looks like the Coroner is saying cause of death is “Multiple Blunt Force Traumatic Injuries”

http://mec.lacounty.gov/case-detail/?caseNumber=2019-05011

josh2322 wrote:

MohammedAA wrote:

That’s because she is planning a civil suit and wants $$$$.

money from who? Derek Murphy isn’t wealthy or likely covered by any insurance.

People often threaten to sue when in grief or anger. It would be an interesting trial, as it would put the truth and Frank's "races" in the spotlight. I'm not sure his family would really enjoy having his races put under scrutiny in a public court of law.

jf64k wrote:

Looks like the Coroner is saying cause of death is “Multiple Blunt Force Traumatic Injuries”

http://mec.lacounty.gov/case-detail/?caseNumber=2019-05011

Wow. That’s what I expected. I read in cases where people jump from Golden Gate Bridge for example there is often crabs clawing away the face, and at the very least broken ribs and vertebrae since you hit the water at about 75mph (in the case of San francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge). I then read Even if one survives the blunt force trauma, I read there’s then a good chance of drowning since you plunge so deep and the spinal cord may be so badly damaged. I then read that about 98.5% die from the jump with the way to survive it being to hit the water feet first and arms overhead and enter the water at a near perfect 45degree angle.

Very poignant and very relevant to the situation we have seen. Thank you for that.

runnerdave wrote:

People often threaten to sue when in grief or anger. It would be an interesting trial, as it would put the truth and Frank's "races" in the spotlight. I'm not sure his family would really enjoy having his races put under scrutiny in a public court of law.

On what basis could they possibly sue? Can newspapers and media outlets be sued for reporting the truth? Would any family members want the evidence aired in court? I would suggest to them that if they hold on to the idea that Frank Meza ran the marathons in dispute legitimately then they are best advised to not hear the evidence.

There have been a lot of postings from people saying how disgusted they are with this site due to the Frank saga. I wonder how many of those folks have seen Good Morning America snip-it about Frank cheating?

Based on the “reach” of GMA and the demographic they serve (versus this forum), I have to think that that broadcast would have an order of magnitude larger impact on Frank, his friends, family, etc. I sense a mocking, passive aggressive, "snickering tone" in this clip that in hindsight, I think (hope) the GMA folks would regret.

https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/video/marathon-officials-disqualify-70-year-photos-surface-64107072

I had to verify several times the news of Frank passing. I am still feeling the sadness and hope that LRC posters don't feel the need to defend what they did in seeking the truth. Unfortunately, Frank was a liar and deceived everyone in his life. The cheating and death (potential suicide) are on Frank. He is solely responsible for the deceptive decisions he made during his life. I mostly feel heavy and sad for Frank's family and friends, as they are left without a loved one. The mental health implications of Frank go deeper than most are willing to acknowledge. I can't help but think that some very close to Frank knew of his cheating and his over mental instability. Lord have mercy.

Mr.Bird wrote:

I had to verify several times the news of Frank passing. I am still feeling the sadness and hope that LRC posters don't feel the need to defend what they did in seeking the truth. Unfortunately, Frank was a liar and deceived everyone in his life. The cheating and death (potential suicide) are on Frank. He is solely responsible for the deceptive decisions he made during his life. I mostly feel heavy and sad for Frank's family and friends, as they are left without a loved one. The mental health implications of Frank go deeper than most are willing to acknowledge. I can't help but think that some very close to Frank knew of his cheating and his over mental instability. Lord have mercy.

No need to say potential suicide anymore. You can just say suicide, the coroner has already determined that's the caused of death.

:(

It’s not me but I agree 100%. Roderick, you could do better. Get off this thread & try to be better.

The LA County Coroner report says Frank Meza committed suicide.

I'm sure the snowflakes are going to say, there are many ways to get blunt force injuries. But, you have to be an idiot if you don't think he jumped off the bridge.

http://mec.lacounty.gov/case-detail/?caseNumber=2019-05011

The bridge Meza jumped from isn't nearly as high as the Golden Gate Bridge. If I had to guess, the bridge is about 50 ft high. This link has pictures of bridges near the area. There are all about the same height as the one Meza jumped off.

https://bigorangelandmarks.blogspot.com/2008/07/no-164-glendale-hyperion-bridge.html

Also, while they call it the LA River, it doesn't always have water. There are parts that may have water at ankle deep. Further north of where Meza jumped the river has been damned- so water doesn't follow downstream.

ISeeWhatUDo wrote:

You instigated the entire thing. During the entire thread you played a cat and mouse game, and finally you "allowed" yourself to be convinced.

Just own up to the fact that you wanted Meza outed (a laudable goal) but didn't have the integrity or courage to do it yourself.

I can't tell you how many times throughout this saga I've wondered this exact thing. From the very beginning the original post just seemed so random. "Congratulations" indeed.

This story has a picture of the bridge Meza jumped from.

https://www.theeastsiderla.com/neighborhoods/cypress_park/coroner-says--year-old-marathon-runner-frank-meza-committed/article_cf400400-a19b-11e9-8d7f-ff05ee3312e8.html

Scott Dominguez' Dog, Ralph wrote:

ISeeWhatUDo wrote:

You instigated the entire thing. During the entire thread you played a cat and mouse game, and finally you "allowed" yourself to be convinced.

Just own up to the fact that you wanted Meza outed (a laudable goal) but didn't have the integrity or courage to do it yourself.

I can't tell you how many times throughout this saga I've wondered this exact thing. From the very beginning the original post just seemed so random. "Congratulations" indeed.

Rod's posts have been suspect from the beginning. His approach has felt a bit creepy and contradictory in his statements. I am a bit concerned for his mental stability, as I was with Frank's.

Punk band from my HS (1980s). Song is about the LA River / Santa Ana River systems. Neither are real rivers. Man-made concrete water run-offs. Enjoy!

First off, all posts should be required to register. That would cut down on people posting crap by 50%.

Second, I was shocked and do feel bad for his death. I feel bad for his family as well.

That being said, I don't think that Let's Run did anything wrong with covering the story. This is a running and racing website and we report on running and racing. If Meza did break the marathon record, he would be reported on via this site because it certainly is running news. And now the fact that it seems to show that he cheated to do so, is also newsworthy. This isn't some person who wanted to say that they finished the marathon when they didn't, this is someone who deliberately cheated to break the world record. He deserved to be called out.

I don’t know why Meza apparently took his own life, and without further evidence, neither does anyone else.

There are many reasons why someone could choose to do so, not all of which are cowardly—in fact, many are downright heroic. There are times in everyone’s life when they decide things for others, for their own possibly good reasons. Here, Meza decided for his family and friends that they would go forward without him.

Unless he communicated it to someone, we do not know his reasoning, but I am sure that it was an agonizing decision for him to have made. It was his life, and ultimately his call.

I have no idea if he cheated or not. I read some of the LR thread and none of MI. I wish he had come in and answered the charges made against him, like Ed Whitlock did, but Meza decided not to.

I’m not saying that his suicide was heroic, but I am saying that it was not necessarily a narcissistic and selfish act, as some here have suggested. He had his reasons, and they may have been good ones, but we will probably never know. By all accounts he loved his family, and even in death he might well have been trying to do what he felt was best for them, in his own way. That kind of thing I can understand, and even respect.

You might disagree, even his own family might disagree, but I can see it. Only an abstract and speculative future will decide. None of us knows, and none of us can ever know, if it was ultimately a good course of action for all involved. It was Meza’s decision to make, and he made it. Think it’s an easy decision? I doubt it.

I am not advocating suicide, but neither do I think that it is always cowardly, or a bad decision. I know that I would readily give my life to save that of my family or best friends. Many choose suicide at the end of life or during illness. Many have done it in the course of duty to comrades and country. All have their reasons.

Meza might fairly be judged for his running actions, but not for his suicide. His decision may very well have been very courageous, and may very well have been intended to have been in the service of others.

Not knowing one way or the other, what I can say is that I wish that he had responded while he was alive, and that I wish that he was still alive.

I can also say that nobody here, unless they were very close to him (and maybe not even then), knows what he was thinking, and that nobody can rightly sit in judgment of his apparent suicide.

RIP Meza.

^ "I have no idea if he cheated or not. "

You might as well have posted, I have no idea if the Earth is round...

IMHO, there were some close to Frank who assisted in his cheating, or at the very least, were well aware.