TOLEDO, Ohio — In 2020 and early 2021, the Titkemeier family of Toledo became one of the faces of efforts to raise money for the families of slain Toledo officers Anthony Dia and Brandon Stalker, holding multiple fundraisers and collecting about $15,000 for the families.
When Lisa Titkemeier began telling family and friends in 2020 that she was battling non-Hodgkin’s follicular lymphoma and that she and her husband, Ryan Titkemeier, were struggling to pay medical bills, the community embraced them. Four benefit events collected $16,833.65. Additional money, food, and gift cards poured in beginning in early 2021.
On Sept. 11, 2021, K-100 radio station organized a lemonade stand fundraiser for the family at Monnettes Market on Secor Road and Indian Creek Zoo in Lambertville. In the station’s Facebook Live, the family was introduced as “pillars of the community.” The joint events raised more than $3,500, according to the agent's affidavit.
But state investigators believe it was all a collection of lies.
An Oct. 5, 2023, affidavit from Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent Ryan Emahiser, attached to a request for a search warrant for the Titkemeiers’ phone and text records indicated there was no evidence that Lisa Titkemeier had ever been treated for or diagnosed with cancer and that the couple used donated money to pay their bills.
On Dec. 13, 2022, George Kral, who was then the Toledo police chief, reached out to BCI, requesting that they investigate Ryan and Lisa Titkemeier for possible fraud. The BCI search warrant request claimed the state was investigating them for three possible criminal charges – theft by deception, telecommunications fraud, and falsification in theft offense.
The Lucas County prosecutors office confirmed to 11 Investigates that there is an investigation under way. No charges have been filed.
Though investigators believe their debt is not from cancer-related medical bills, court records show that the Titkemeiers have battled financial issues over the years. Most recently, on Sept. 21, 2023, Key Bank filed a foreclosure claim in Lucas County Common Pleas Court, stating that the couple owed $60,550 since April 2023 for their Oak Grove Place home. On Nov. 29, the lawsuit was dismissed after KeyBank received a reinstatement check.
Agent Emahiser said in his affidavit that BCI requested treatment and diagnosis records from Mercy Health St. Anne’s, Toledo Clinic and also ProMedica. All of the providers stated that they had not treated nor diagnosed Lisa Titkemeier. Agents then followed up with personal visits to the hospitals and were given the same information.
“I can’t imagine why anyone would want to lie about cancer”
Dee Lynn first met Lisa at an Anthony Dia fundraiser. She has helped to raise money for the Titkemeier family at multiple events. She told WTOL 11 she has been interviewed multiple times by BCI agents.
“I can’t imagine why anyone would want to lie about cancer,” Lynn said. “She needs to apologize to the public, to everyone who supported her through all of this. It's not fair to them.”
Lynn said she became suspicious of Lisa Titkemeier’s cancer diagnosis and that when Lisa would tell her she was on the way to a cancer appointment, Lynn would wait outside her house to see if she left. She said that on multiple occasions, Lisa Titkemeier did not leave her home.
Family finances
The search warrant was for text records of Lisa and Ryan Titkemeier. According to the affidavit, witnesses told agents that the couple would tell others that their insurance would not cover treatments for Lisa Titkemeier’s cancer. Those statements were made verbally and also through text messages. It is unclear where Lisa Titkemeier works, but Ryan Titkemeier is an intervention specialist and soccer coach at St. Francis de Sales High School.
On April 26, 2023, BCI agents interviewed Lisa Titkemeier at her home and, according to Emahiser, she said she was diagnosed with cancer in 2021 by a doctor at the Toledo Clinic and was receiving treatment. When confronted with the fact that there was no evidence of her being treated for cancer, Lisa Titkemeier admitted that she did not have cancer but claimed she had other medical issues and that the money was used to pay bills, according to the affidavit.
When asked how much she received from the community, Emahiser said that Lisa Titkemeier admitted to less than $5,000, according to the affidavit. But the amount collected at the four events detailed in the affidavit – The Wheelin’ on the Rocks fundraiser in August 2021, the K-100 events in September 2021, a St. Francis soccer event in October 2021, and an online fundraiser in November 2021 -- collected donations of almost $17,000, according to the affidavit. The state believes Lisa Titkemeier also collected additional money through mobile payment apps.
According to the affidavit, agents interviewed Ryan Titkemeier outside of St. Francis High School on April 26, 2023. He told them that his wife had had cancer for two years and that she was being treated. He said he had never met her doctor because she always asked him to wait in the waiting room. Emahiser said Ryan Titkemeier told agents that he found it hard to believe that his wife did not have cancer and that he believed he could produce medical bills. Lisa told agents that her husband did not know she was lying about the diagnosis.
"She flipped it around to take advantage"
11 Investigates made multiple phone calls and sent multiple text messages to Ryan and Lisa Titkemeier for comment. 11 Investigates reporters also went to their home. We have received no comment.
11 Investigates also reached out to St. Francis de Sales spokesperson Janice Schlachter regarding the Titkemeiers asking the St. Francis community for donations for Lisa Titkemeier's medical bills. She sent a statement:
"We have not been notified of a search warrant investigation, but we are aware of the allegations brought against Lisa Titkemeier. At this time, based on the information available to us, we do not believe that these allegations have any implication on the employment status of Ryan. He has consistently demonstrated dedication to his students and a commitment to excellence as an educator at St. Francis de Sales School."
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been edited to remove the name of the doctor whom Lisa Titkemeier told police had diagnosed her with cancer at the Toledo Clinic.
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