Dominican teacher who committed suicide had divorce proceeding scheduled Monday
Christian Tomsey
WHITEFISH BAY -- A teacher at Dominican High School in Whitefish Bay died Monday, August 7th amid an investigation into child pornography and inappropriate relations with a student.
Police said they responded to a suicide in Riverwest on Monday night. What allegedly led up to it is both complex and tragic.
In a letter to parents, school administration officials identified the teacher as 39-year-old Christian Tomsey. He was an English teacher.
Dominican High School
Whitefish Bay Police Department
School officials said a graduate alleged she and Tomsey had an inappropriate relationship in 2009, and an investigation was launched, resulting in Tomsey's termination.
Dominican High School
Whitefish Bay police said Tomsey was arrested and booked into the Milwaukee County Jail last week, facing charges of sexual assault of a student and possession of child pornography.
Riverwest
At the end of July, Tomsey was fired from Dominican.
On Monday, a divorce hearing was scheduled, in connection with a January divorce filing.
"He was going through a divorce with his wife and she had made some allegations to the school which ultimately made it to the police department that they had had an inappropriate relationship prior to her graduating from high school. Mr. Tomsey in no uncertain terms denied any inappropriate relationship. He was a teacher who was well-respected and loved by many many students. He worked very, very hard for his students over the years," Jonathan LaVoy, Tomsey's attorney said.
On Tuesday, a report from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office said Tomsey's girlfriend found he had stabbed himself to death in their Riverwest apartment. He left behind several suicide notes.
Dominican officials said they were making counselors available for anyone impacted by this situation.
The complete letter to parents reads as follows:
August 7, 2017
Dear Dominican Parents and Guardians,
Dominican High School values the honest, open and clear communication we have with parents and guardians of our students. To continue fulfilling that commitment, we are contacting you to share the following information.
The school was recently made aware of an investigation by law enforcement involving a Dominican faculty member, Mr. Christian Tomsey. A Dominican graduate alleged that there was an inappropriate relationship with Mr. Tomsey in 2009. Upon learning of the allegation, our administration immediately conducted a thorough investigation into the situation, which resulted in the termination of Mr. Tomsey’s employment. We are unable to share any additional details while the law enforcement investigation remains ongoing.
Today, we learned that Mr. Tomsey passed away.
We recognize the impact this news will have on current students, alumni, their families and the greater Dominican family. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted by this tragic situation. For our students, we will have counselors available at the school. We encourage you to contact Mr. Murray, Dean of Students, to setup an appointment (vmurray@dominicanhighschool.com or 414.332.1170, ext. 160).
It is important for you to be aware that the safety of our students always has been and always will be our highest priority. Dominican regularly reviews our policies and procedures on personnel-student relationships to ensure that we provide the highest possible levels of protection for our students. We assure you that we promptly investigate any and all allegations that could potentially relate to or impact our students. It is also our policy to immediately report any such allegations to the appropriate law enforcement agency or agencies. Anyone with information related to the investigation should contact the Whitefish Bay Police Department directly at (414) 963-3830.
This is a very difficult situation for everyone in the Dominican community and we are committed to providing the support needed for all our students and families. I encourage each of you to pray for those impacted by this tragic situation and ask any parents, current students and alumni to contact me at any time with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Leanne Giese
President
Dominican High School