Investigation into Death of Christi Troiano Concludes Following Final Cause of Death Determination by Coroner

Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now•

Left: Valley Stream Apartments in Hatfield Township. Right: Christi Troiano, 56, of Souderton Borough.

The investigation into the death of 56-year-old Christi Troiano has concluded following a final cause of death determination by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office Wednesday afternoon.

According to the report, which was sent to Souderton Borough Police Chief Brian Newhall Thursday morning, Troiano’s cause of death has been listed as drug intoxication and manner of death as suicide with a secondary attribute of depression. The toxicology report indicates she had a mixture of prescription drugs and controlled substances in her system at her time of death, including an anti-depressant.

With the cause and manner of death now official, Newhall said the investigation into Troiano's death has concluded.

“We encourage anyone struggling to reach out to a friend, a loved one, the police, or to call 988 for assistance,” Newhall said. “People are willing to listen and help.”

Troiano was reported missing by her daughter, Nicole, after she left her home in Souderton Borough during the early-morning hours of April 25. Troiano’s vehicle was captured on a stationary license plate reader at the intersection of Cowpath and Orvilla roads in Hatfield Township approximately one hour after she left her home, according to police, but all leads ended there, and she was not seen or heard from again.

According to the daughter, Troiano had an active involuntary commitment order due to mental health issues and she indicated she intended to harm herself prior to her disappearance.

On May 24, Troiano’s body was discovered by a maintenance worker inside of her vehicle near the R Building of the Valley Stream Apartment complex — approximately 2.2 miles from where her vehicle was last observed.

Two days later, investigators confirmed that the body recovered at the scene was Troiano, following a positive identification via a comparison of dental records by a forensic odontologist with the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.

Christi’s death came four years after her son — 32-year-old Eric Otto — and the mother of his children both died unexpectedly in March 2019. In the wake of their passing, Christi and Nicole worked to have Eric’s two children placed in their custody, and the two purchased a home in Souderton Borough in 2021 to raise the children.

"We became a team together in raising Justin and Meela after that,” said Nicole, who is now the sole guardian of the two children.

A GoFundMe was subsequently launched in the wake of Christi Troiano’s disappearance in an effort to provide support for Nicole and her niece and nephew. To date, it has raised $11,440 of it’s $15,000 goal. To donate to the GoFundMe, click here.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or self-harm, help is available by calling the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or by visiting 988lifeline.org.