Sandy Creek, N.Y. — Amanda Rothenburg a week ago received a call from State Police asking if she had seen or heard from her brother, she said.
She and her family were confused because they didn’t know troopers were looking for her brother.
Investigators told the family that an anonymous caller had requested a welfare check on 29-year-old Charles W. Rothenburg, Amanda Rothenburg said in an interview with syracuse.com | The Post Standard.
It was not unusual for her brother to go off the grid for a few days, but he would always find a way to reach out to his family and let them know he was safe, his sister said.
After the call from troopers, Amanda Rothenburg said she waited days for an “I’m safe” text that never came.
Charles Rothenburg, of Sandy Creek, was fatally shot last Monday by Alva G. Parsons, 62, inside Parsons’s home, 5863 State Route 11, State Police said Thursday. His body was left inside the home for two days before investigators found him on Wednesday, troopers said.
At the time of his death, Charles Rothenburg had been living in a trailer on the property next to Parsons’s home, troopers said. He was helping Parsons clean up the property, she said.
Charles Rothenburg and Parsons had gotten into an argument and Parsons shot him during the fight, troopers said. Investigators told the family that other people inside the home helped Parsons move his body to another room in the home where it remained until troopers searched the residence, Amanda Rothenburg said.
Parsons was charged with second-degree murder Wednesday, troopers said.
In the wake of his death, several rumors sparked up on social media that he died of an overdose, Amanda Rothenburg said. Investigators told the family that although the autopsy had not been completed there was no indication that he died of an overdose, she said.
Charles Rothenburg struggled for years with addiction but he was in the recovery process, his sister said. He was working on improving his life so he could be around for his three young sons, she said. His children are 1, 3, and 9 years old.
Despite his struggles with addiction, Charles Rothenburg was a very involved father and uncle to his many nieces and nephews, his sister said. He would never be around them when he was taking drugs and would never bring them to the place he was staying if there were drugs in the home, she said.
He loved taking his two youngest sons and his nieces and nephew to swim in a nearby river or to the playground, Amanda Rothenburg said. He loved the outdoors and wanted to share that with his children, she said.
He loved being outside and working with his hands, his sister said. His favorite hobby was tinkering with lawn mowers and modifying them, she said.
“He likes to build lawn mowers to do these crazy things,” she said.
Amanda Rothenburg laughed as she recalled one of her favorite stories about her brother.
When his girlfriend at the time was pregnant with his middle child they used to like walking into town, his sister said. Eventually, his girlfriend began to have trouble walking later in her pregnancy, she said.
Charles Rothenburg decided to take a chair and mount it onto the back of his lawn mower so he could drive it and she would be able to rest while they went into town, his sister said.
When Amanda Rothenburg went to her brother’s trailer to pick up his personal items, she saw a lawn mower that he was tinkering with before he died, she said. He had taken the wheels of a children’s Power Wheels car and fit them on the frame of the lawn mower, she said.
He hadn’t been able to finish the project so his sister hopes to finish it herself, even if she can’t live up to his high standards, she said.
When asked how they want Charles Rothenburg to be remembered, his sister said his loving soul and fun-loving personality were what defined him despite the hardships in his life.
Now, his family must be there for his children, his sister said. His two youngest children don’t understand what happened to their father, she said.
When his 3-year-old saw his aunt and grandmother crying he came to pat their backs and tell them everything will be okay, Amanda Rothenburg said. He had no idea why they were upset but knew he needed to be there for him, she said.
Now as he repeatedly asks to go see his daddy, they have to be strong for him, Amanda Rothenburg said.
***
***
Staff writer Anne Hayes covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at ahayes@syracuse.com.
Ad Choices