The father-in-law of embattled Tour de France winner Floyd Landis was found dead in his car after committing suicide, coroner's officials said Wednesday.
The body of 57-year-old David Witt was discovered at a parking garage on Tuesday afternoon, said Paul Parker, an investigator with the San Diego County Medical Examiner. He had a gunshot wound to the head, and the death was ruled a suicide, Parker said.
"The Landises are devastated by the news of David's death," family spokesman Michael Henson told reporters. "They loved him dearly, and they miss him."
Witt was the stepfather of Landis' wife, Amber.
Landis' close friend, Dwight van Slyke, said that he did not believe the recent doping allegations against the cyclist directly led to the suicide.
"It could have been a few percentages of the whole maybe, or just another negative thing that he was depressed over," said van Slyke, adding Witt had also been struggling under the strain of opening a new restaurant earlier this year.
An avid amateur cyclist, Witt met Landis through a mutual coach in 1998 and at one point the two shared an apartment in San Diego, Henson said. It was Witt who introduced Landis to his future wife and has been credited with introducing Landis -- a former mountain biker -- to the world of road racing.
Witt and Landis served as best man at each other's weddings, Henson said. Witt married Amber Landis' mother Rose, a schoolteacher, a short time after the younger couple married in 2000.
Landis has been under investigation by cycling authorities after testing positive for high levels of testosterone last month. The Tour de France has said it no longer considers Landis its champion.
The 30-year-old cyclist has cited a variety of possible reasons for his failed test: ingesting something that raised his testosterone, cortisone shots for pain in his degenerating hip, drinking beer and whiskey the night before the test, thyroid medication, his natural metabolism and dehydration.
Funeral arrangements for Witt were pending.
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
Italian soccer is at its lowest ebb in nearly 40 years after a wholesale European exodus at club level followed the nation’s failure for the third successive time to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and compounded a leadership and structural crisis. The exits suffered by Bologna and ACF Fiorentina on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League respectively meant no Italian teams are left in European competition this season. Italy’s last remaining UEFA Champions League contenders, Atalanta BC, went out in the round of 16 last month. It is the first time since the 1986-1987 campaign that Italian clubs
The Detroit Tigers’ Lee Hao-yu on Monday collected his first and second MLB hits in their 8-6 loss to the Boston Red Sox. The Tigers’ No. 6 prospect, who batted eighth, had an RBI single and a double in four at-bats at Fenway Park, raising his batting average to .182. “He was super thrilled to get his first hit,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said after the game. “There’s only one first, you know, and for him, it’s been a couple of games where he’s really been wanting to do it. I’m glad he did it here.” “Young guys settle in when they start
RSS