Before her death, Kathleen was a successful businesswoman, serving as an executive at Nortel Networks. Before tying the knot with Peter, she was married to physicist Fred Atwater, with whom she had her daughter Caitlin. According to friends and family, her marriage with Michael appeared to be a happy one.
In 2001, Kathleen was found dead at the bottom of the staircase in her Durham, NC, mansion. To this day, Michael says that she died from a tragic fall down the stairs. But investigators found deep lacerations on her head that seemed to indicate otherwise. Among other factors, Kathleen's $1.4 million insurance policy led to suspicions of foul play.