MILFORD, New Hampshire — Ask Chris Arsenault about his uncle Chris Cramer and words of praise begin to flow.
“He was a rock for our family,” said Arsenault, of Rindge. “If any one of us had a problem, he was the go-to guy for us. He was always there, ready to help.”
That’s why Arsenault and others refuse to believe Cramer, 50, who was found dead in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 15, committed suicide by leaping off the third-floor balcony of his hotel — as family members originally were told by a representative of his employer, Kollsman Inc. of Merrimack, and its parent company, Elbit Systems of America.
Family members suspect foul play after receiving suspicious text messages from Cramer just minutes before his death.
“At first, we were all thinking there’s no way Chris Cramer is dead — we were just messaging with him,” said Arsenault. “Then it quickly became there’s no way Uncle Chris threw himself off a balcony. He had so much unfinished business here. He was coming home in a few days. There’s no way he killed himself. We think he was killed.”
A U.S. State Department issued a statement on Thursday:
“We can confirm that U.S. citizen Christopher J. Cramer died outside the Sahara Makarim Hotel in Tabuk on January 15,” reads the statement, attributed to the press office. “We express our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Officials from the U.S. Consulate General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia are in contact with the family and are providing consular assistance.
“Out of respect for the privacy of those affected by this tragedy, we will not comment further. For questions regarding the investigation, we refer you to the Tabuk Police Department.”
Clark Freise, vice president of sensor and fire control solutions at Kollsman, said Cramer was in Tarbuk to work with and observe the Saudis using thermal optical devices the company manufactures, which can be installed as part of missile systems.
Freise said the initial report his company received from the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia was that Cramer’s death appeared to be a suicide, based on information received from Tabuk police.
“We wanted to tell his family personally,” said Freise. “We felt that wasn’t news someone should get in a statement.”
Freise said based on more recent information, Kollsman is now awaiting the cause of death to be determined.
“We are sharing everything we have from the State Department with the family,” Freise said.
He said Kollsman has been working with the U.S. consulate general in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to fly Cramer’s body back to the U.S., where an autopsy will be performed.
“There are certain things the family needs to do first, but we are working with them to make that happen,” Freise said.
Arsenault said his uncle had been in good spirits.
“All messages and texts from my uncle were uplifting and joyful through his entire stay,” Arsenault said.
The tone of those messages changed Jan. 15.
Nashua-based attorney Noah Mandell, a friend of Chris Cramer who is now representing the Cramer family, said Chris called him three times between 2:40 and 2:50 p.m. on Jan. 14 — calls he was unavailable to take. Arsenault has a copy of a text message that Cramer sent to a friend, Shad Smith. It reads: “I think something bad is going to happen to me tonight. Please contact state dept. ASAP. Bad things were said in Room 315.”
According to Mandell, Cramer’s body was found the next day by a co-worker on the ground below a window of the Sahara Makarim Hotel, where he was staying in Room 315.
“Based on the messages he sent, we believe foul play was involved in his death,” Mandell said.
Arsenault said he doesn’t know who might have wanted Cramer dead.
“As you can see, Chris was scared for his life and had overheard that something was going to happen to him that night,” said Arsenault, who has adopted his uncle’s dog, Rugby. Arsenault said he and family members haven’t had time to properly grieve for Cramer.
“It’s been crazy, dealing with the company and the State Department,” said Arsenault, who served in the Army just under 10 years, including two tours of duty in Baghdad, with the 128th Infantry and later with the 10th Mountain 4-31 Infantry out of Fort Drum. “We need him home, so we can all have some closure.”
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