David Kellermann, acting chief financial officer of Freddie Mac, apparently committed suicide in his Hunter Mill Estates home this morning. He hanged himself. Fairfax County Police spokeswoman Mary Anne Jennings says that police responded to the Kellermann home after family members called police at 4:48 a.m.
“We were called from inside the house to come investigate an apparent suicide,” Jennings says.
“We’re not going to give you details of the condition of the body, except to say it was an apparent suicide.”
A medical examiner will make the final determination that the death was a suicide.
Police on the scene said Kellermann’s body was found on the home’s lower level.
The Kellermann home sits on the corner of Raleigh Hill Road and Brittenford Drive in picturesque Hunter Mill Estates, a neighborhood of single-family homes outside of Vienna, Virginia, just over the border from Reston. According to Fairfax County tax records, Kellermann’s home is assessed at $898,440.
Neighbors say they are surprised to hear about Kellermann’s suicide. They knew him, his wife and young daughter from neighborhood parties and the pool.
“I’m in total shock. This is a wonderful family. This is the last thing I would have ever expected,” says Susan Unger, who lives across the street from Kellermann. “I’m saddened. It’s awful.”
Unger’s husband Paul says Kellermann was a “terrific guy.”
“We’re just shocked beyond belief. This is just a wonderful family – very family oriented,” Paul Unger says.
Kellermann, 41, had been with Freddie Mac for more than 16years.
He had been named acting chief financial officer in September 2008, taking over after Anthony “Buddy” Piszel resigned. Freddie Mac’s CEO David Moffett resigned last month.
Government-controlled Freddie Mac, based in McLean, has been criticized heavily for reckless business practices. Some say those practices contributed to the nation’s housing and financial crisis. Freddie Mac owns or guarantees about 13 million home loans.
As CFO, Kellermann was responsible for the company’s financial controls, financial reporting and oversight of the company’s budget and financial planning.
Freddie Mac released this statement about Kellermann’s death:
“The Freddie Mac family is truly saddened by the news this morning of David Kellermann’s death. We extend our deepest condolences to David’s family and loved ones for this terrible personal tragedy.
David was a man of great talents. He dedicated those talents to Freddie Mac for more than 16 years, serving in many business and finance capacities before recently taking the reins as acting chief financial officer. His extraordinary work ethic and integrity inspired all who worked with him. But he will be most remembered for his affability, his personal warmth, his sense of humor and his quick wit. David was a friend to many in the Freddie Mac family, and we mourn his passing.”
{NY Times/WTOP/Matzav.com Newscenter}
