The mystery of Father Amala

As parishioners filled the Wisconsin church for morning services, something was noticeably missing -- their priest.

Twenty-four hours later, the Rev. Amala Joseph Madhichetty called members of his worried congregation from a Maywood hospital.

The 44-year-old priest told them he had been in an accident the night before in Bellwood, a near West suburb. Madhichetty said he didn't know how he ended up more than 200 miles away, but promised to return soon.

Instead, hours later, he was in a second accident, this time as a pedestrian who inexplicably seemed to run into traffic and into the path of a Ford Expedition on busy Lake Street in Addison.

He did not survive.

Those close to the Catholic priest are haunted by many unanswered questions about his mysterious death.

They describe a pattern of bizarre behavior in Madhichetty's final days that began May 27 after his laptop computer vanished from the church rectory.

Afterward, parishioners said he grew depressed, withdrawn and paranoid. He complained of insomnia, harassing phone calls and hearing screams in the middle of the night.

Then, late June 7, after Madhichetty said goodnight to the church housekeeper, he unexpectedly left the rectory and drove off alone toward Illinois.

A stolen laptop

Father Amala -- that's what they called him.

He was ordained Nov. 5, 1991, in the Salesian province of Tiruchy in South India. His older brother, Noel, is the highest-ranking priest in the province of Hyderabad.

Though the country's predominant religion is Hindu, the brothers belonged to a charitable Roman Catholic order founded in the mid-19th century by St. John Bosco that works for the poor, especially children.

As a young priest, Madhichetty returned after studying three years in Rome to develop programs for impoverished children in India.

He left for the U.S. in 2004 to pursue his doctorate degree, with an emphasis in youth ministry. He was on loan to the Diocese of La Crosse in central Wisconsin where, since Aug. 30, 2005, he served at St. Paul Parish in nearby New Lisbon.

Madhichetty planned to return to India next summer and, eventually, travel abroad as a missionary. He wasn't at St. Paul Parish long, but parishioners said he had a powerful impact on many of their 133 families.

"He was a very brilliant, warm, funny man," Lori Heindl said. "He taught us so many wonderful things and loved the children so much. He really put the church back on its feet."

But Heindl and other parishioners said something went awry Memorial Day weekend after Madhichetty discovered his laptop and cellular phone were stolen out of the church's rectory.

He told them his laptop contained research for his thesis, family photos and other keepsakes. Madhichetty presumed it had to be taken by a parishioner because it disappeared during Sunday services.

"To him, it was a disgrace to him and his family," said John Stastny, church secretary. "It made him anxious and suspicious of many people. It consumed him."

New Lisbon Police Chief Brent Granger did not respond to several Daily Herald requests for comment on the May 27 computer theft.

But he told Addison police detectives in a June 13 telephone interview that Madhichetty did not want to report theft of the laptop, according to police reports. Granger, too, reported the priest was acting "differently" when he last saw him June 6.

The Rev. Joseph Hirsch of the La Crosse Diocese provided more insight during a June 9 interview with Addison police. Hirsch said he contacted Madhichetty before his death after some parishioners complained of the priest's strange behavior.

Beside the missing laptop, Hirsch said, Madhichetty complained about getting harassing phone calls, hearing screams at night and seeing moving objects.

Heindl said she also confronted her priest in an effort to try to help him.

"He told me the only place he felt comfortable was in the church," she recalled. "He said he was praying all the time, but that God wasn't giving him any answers.

"He said, 'Something is going to happen.' I thought he was talking about the computer. I asked, 'Father, what was on there?' "

"He told me he had everything from his country stored on the computer. I said, 'I wish I had answers for you. Have faith. We'll find it.' "

Police never did recover the laptop.

A late-night trip

On June 7, Father Amala went for ice cream with the church housekeeper before returning home for bed.

That next morning, as parishioners showed up for Friday Mass, the priest was missing. No note was found.

Early Saturday, June 9, Madhichetty called Heindl, Stastny and Hirsch.

They said Madhichetty told them he had been in an accident in Bellwood, but was uninjured. To make sure, he spent the night at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood.

According to police reports, Madhichetty was spotted late Friday speeding through West suburban Berkeley. Before police could stop him, Madhichetty struck a light pole in neighboring Bellwood.

He was alone. Rescuers reported hearing him scream, "The church violated the priest! The church violated the priest!" before he lost consciousness.

Madhichetty had no explanation for the mysterious late-night journey. Heindl recalled the priest said he couldn't remember anything after Thursday, June 7. In fact, he asked if her husband had driven him to Illinois. Still, for the first time in two weeks, Madhichetty sounded like his old self again.

"He spoke with a good voice, a strong voice," Stastny said. "He was excited to be coming back."

The priest's younger brother, Araul Tuena, 36, formerly of Palatine, flew in from Virginia that Saturday, June 9, to pick up Madhichetty from the hospital.

Madhichetty told Heindl and Stastny he planned to go to his brother's house for one week, but would return to St. Paul Parish afterward.

After leaving the hospital, Madhichetty went to the Bellwood Police Department to collect his belongings. He told an officer, "It's a blessing to be alive," according to a police report.

Hours later, the brothers stopped for a quick bite to eat in a Taco Bell along Lake Street in Addison. Madhichetty asked for the car keys to retrieve "something," his brother later told police.

It was just after 5 p.m.

At the same time, a 45-year-old Addison woman was heading home from work in her 2001 Ford Expedition. Two teenage boys were standing nearby.

Without warning, the motorist and witnesses reported, Madhichetty ran from the parking lot and jumped in front of the eastbound SUV on Lake Street as it approached 2nd Avenue.

Father Amala suffered severe trauma to his head, chest and stomach. His brother later told police the priest was upset with work, but would not explain why.

Police determined the motorist who struck Madhichetty did not have time to react. She was not ticketed.

Questions linger

Father Amala's remains were flown back to India.

On June 18, hundreds of priests from four southern Salesian provinces attended his funeral. Four days earlier, St. Paul's parish in Wisconsin also said goodbye.

But, three months later, church members still are troubled by his death.

Findings from his autopsy did not shed light on the mystery. His toxicology screening was negative. A forensic pathologist also did not uncover any physical or mental ailments that could have explained his behavior.

After a 10-week police investigation, DuPage County authorities officially declared his June 9 death a suicide.

"The man we knew would have never taken his own life -- never," Heindl said. "We're at a loss, really. He was so happy to come out of this (the first accident) without a scratch. He said it was a miracle that he was alive. I said, 'I'm so glad, father. God was watching over you.' "