Ingolf Tuerk, who was fired from St. Elizabeth Hospital in Brighton, pled not guilty and is being held without bail.
A celebrated Massachusetts surgeon has been charged with the murder of his wife, 45-year-old Kathleen McLean. Her body was found in a small pond near their Dover home Saturday night, cops said. She was last seen alive in her apartment Thursday.
Ingolf Tuerk, 58, the former head of urology at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Brighton, pleaded not guilty in Dedham District Court during his arraignment Monday. He is currently being held without bail.
McLean and Tuerk were married in December 2019 after being together for two years, The Boston Globe reported.
But McLean, who ran a business offering Reiki services, told officers in February that she was being physically abused and was seeking a divorce, according to a Dover Police report, in which she described him as “angry” and “very controlling,” and said she was “afraid of Ingolf.” She also filed several other reports, all citing allegations of abuse, in the months prior.
McLean, a mother of three, filed charges and secured a restraining order against Tuerk, who has two teenage boys from a separate relationship, according to court papers.
This was also around the time Tuerk was terminated from Steward Medical Group. “Dr. Tuerk has not seen or treated patients as part of Steward Medical Group for more than a year,” the organization said in a statement over the weekend. “He was formally terminated in February.”
But McLean and Tuerk reconciled earlier this month. She said she did not want to pursue criminal charges and asked for the restraining order to be dropped. They also vowed to go to counseling.
Authorities had reportedly been investigating her disappearance when they found her remains late Saturday night. They did not release any other details and did not specify a cause of death.
“She had a huge heart and a big purpose in this world and the world will not be the same without her in it,” McLean’s friend Loree Gunn told The Boston Globe.
Tuerk’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 10.
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