[Rush Transcript]

In a few months, it will be 5 years since the death of my son Joe, who died at the age of 36. I announced his death on air along with what was believed to be the cause and manner of his death. My announcement was based on the information I had at the time, and some of it was proved wrong. I’ve learned from those mistakes, the first information is not always the correct information, and that often things are not always as they initially appear.

It is with a very heavy heart that I sit in front of our viewers and listeners to make yet another very sad announcement. Yesterday, Monday, I was notified that my oldest daughter Julie, Joe’s sister, was found dead, laying on the grass behind her house just after noon Eastern Time. It is important for me to stress that the circumstances surrounding her death remain undetermined at this time. I have been speaking with police detectives and will continue to do so until a complete resolution is reached. 

As I’ve always attempted to be transparent with all of you, but to balance transparency with privacy, I will tell you only what we know at this moment in time.

Just after 7:30 p.m., Sunday evening, my daughter is believed to have left her house to run an errand. What happened next remains unclear, however when she failed to return home by 2:30 a.m., Monday morning, a missing person report was filed.

At approximately noon on Monday, Julie’s body was found when a neighbor noticed what appeared to be a person laying near the rear of the residence. It was the lifeless body of my daughter, who appeared to have been dead since the previous evening. Her body was determined to have been lying outside for at least 14 hours after her death.

A police investigation is ongoing and it’s not my place to comment on that investigation, as doing so might compromise any ongoing efforts. I am convinced – after speaking with one detective in particular, that this matter will be resolved. While I’d like to tell you more, I cannot. To avoid further speculation and maintain a proper level of privacy for my family, I must decline to provide any additional information. As you might imagine, our hearts are broken over this tragic loss.

I must point out that Julie was my oldest daughter. I’ve received several communications asking if she was Eric’s wife – Jackie – and, of course, it is not. Many of you met Jackie at a few conferences when she traveled with us. Again and to be perfectly clear, it was not Eric’s wife, but my oldest daughter Julie.

Lastly and as you might imagine, there are many things – time sensitive things - that require my immediate attention. Accordingly, I will not be on the air the rest of this week, but I expect to return on Monday. Meanwhile, updates, if applicable, will be posted on Hagmannpi.com 

Considering the timing and sequence of planned events, and after very thoughtful conversations with my family, I intend to fulfill my obligation to speak at the conference in Wisconsin this Friday and Saturday as frankly, there will not be much more than I can do here. I made this decision based in part, on a quote from Winston Churchill, which seemed appropriate in this situation. “When you’re going through hell, don’t stop.”  I’m not stopping.

In closing, it's been a very difficult five years, and I cannot tell you how much your prayers and support mean to me, to us, and my family. I want to thank Eric the Tech and everyone who has reached out with condolences. I would name everyone, but I would not want to miss anyone whose kindness has touched us so deeply.

To be clear, I will be busy over the next few days but will be in attendance at the Wisconsin conference and will return on Monday. Again, I thank you for your prayers and support, & may God bless and protect you today and in the days ahead. Thank you.

Website: https://www.hagmannpi.com/