Please reset your password. For me Drew was my favorite person to spend my time with online. Surviving are his parents, Jim and Karen (Sabol) Thornton of Virginia Beach, Virginia; brothers, Zachary and Ryan Thornton of Virginia Beach, Virginia; paternal grandmother, Thelma (VanWyngarden) Thornton of Rustburg, Virginia; maternal grandparents, Dennis Sabol and Edwina Barton of Oxford, North Carolina and Anthony and Patricia (Malloy) Fronzaglia of Lynchburg, Virginia and many uncles, aunts and cousins. He was a quick learner, great athlete, and talented guitar player. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. THORNTON, Rosemary Rosemary Jeanette Taylor Thornton was called to her Lord and Savior on Sunday, January 23, 2022, after sharing her love and life with God, her family, and friends for over 97. The bear, lovingly named Pablo Eskobear (or Cocaine Bear) was taxidermied after its autopsy and sent to Kentucky Fun Mall in Lexington for display, where you can still see it today! He was born June 11, 2002 in Lynchburg, Virginia. Family and friends can send flowers and/or light a candle as a loving gesture for their loved one. He was brought back to Fresno, where he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor drug charge and the felony charges against him were dropped. Parrish & Underwood Funeral Homes and Cremations. I'll cover a different true crime case every time I post, so be sure to follow, comment, and share if you want. "They were cowboys," said a friend of both Thornton and Brown, who asked that his name not be used. "He went onto the police force so he could do battle. Andrew DeHerrera Obituary - Thornton, CO - Dignity Memorial His journey with smuggling began after he received tenure in his time working in the narcotics unit, where he became the head of a drug smuggling ring known as The Company. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.olingerhighland.com for the Valdez Sr. family. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Others who knew him say he thrived on vengeance and murder. "I never saw any indication of innate motivation for his life on the razor's edge," Prichard says. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Thornton was one of nine Kentucky men named in that indictment, which was handed down amid hints that a larger drug-smuggling conspiracy existed. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Search above to list available cemeteries. Olinger Funeral, Cremation & Cemetery - Highland Andrew DeHerrera passed away peacefully on January 10, 2022 at the age of 88 at his home in Denver, Colorado surrounded by his family and friends after a short illness. Obituary of Clark Andrew Thornton | Funeral Homes & Cremation Servi The day of the 1985 jump, he was flying from Colombia on a Cessna 404 loaded with cocaine. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. [7], Three months later, a dead black bear, later known as the Cocaine Bear, that had apparently overdosed on cocaine dropped by Thornton, was found in the Chattahoochee National Forest.[8]. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.olingerhighland.com for the Graham Cynthia Ruth Atencio, age 67, of Denver, Colorado passed away on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Andrew Tyler Drew Thornton, 19, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, passed away on August 27, 2021 at his residence. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.olingerhighland.com for the Atencio family. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. How Thornton would have felt about his untimely death and less-than-flattering portrayal in Cocaine Bear is anybodys guess. Screenwriter Jimmy Warden told USA Today that Banks opted to simply have Thornton get accidentally knocked out while departing from the plane. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. His rivals don't share this romanticized version. Bill worked for Carolina Packers Inc. for many years and he loved their hotdogs too. The bear, for example, simply died of an overdose in real life and did not go on a bloody, murderous rampage as in the film. Try again. Nothing more and nothing less. Drew and I would often talk about meeting up someday and going to real life events together, it breaks my heart that we were never able to do that. A search of a cabin Brown owned in Dead Horse Hollow uncovered a laboratory for manufacturing a poison that was sold on the streets as cocaine, according to Black. When he hit the driveway on Sept. 10, shortly after abandoning a Cessna twin-engine 404 (which would crash unmanned against a mountain in North Carolina), Thornton was wearing a bulletproof vest, special night vision goggles, a Browning 9 mm automatic pistol, a .22-caliber pistol and several clips of ammunition. Mark Andrew Thornton. I know youre all beautiful people. Make sure that the file is a photo. ANDREW THORNTON OBITUARY. He had served six months in prison for allegedly piloting an airplane with a half-ton of marijuana aboard from South America to Kentucky in 1979 as part of a drug- and gun-importing and distribution ring. "Thornton's farm was the subject of aerial and ground surveillance several times following reports that Thornton was operating a guerrilla warfare training camp for mercenaries," according to Sgt. Born in Owatonna, Minnesota on June 28, 1945 to Mary Ann and Lt. Verify and try again. "He had trouble understanding that." Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Thornton owned an isolated farm in Jessamine County, Kentucky, that he called Triad, which he surrounded with barbed wire, barracks, and trenches. [11] Thornton is played by Matthew Rhys. Echovita offers a solidarity program that gives back the funds generated to families. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/63367160/andrew-carter-thornton. The Dignity Memorial brand name is used to identify a network of licensed funeral, cremation and cemetery providers that include affiliates of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Andrew Carter Thornton II (October 30, 1944 September 11, 1985) was an American narcotics officer and lawyer who became the head member of "The Company", a drug smuggling ring in Kentucky. Mother of three, avid golfer, tennis player, and global traveler, Lourdes Ludie Abeto Litz was the eldest daughter of eight born in Manila, Philippines. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. In 1981, he caught public attention in a big wayby being among the 25 men in Fresno, California, who were accused of stealing weapons from the China Lake Naval Weapons Center. The plane crashes when it runs out of fuel., Thats not exactly how it goes down in Cocaine Bear, though. The .38-caliber "wadcutter" bullets didn't penetrate his bulletproof vest. Bryant initially told police he was involved in a clandestine CIA assignment. What wonderful stories each shared of Drews talents, kindness and life during the service. Annette was an early Volunteer for the Foundation of Hearing and Speech. He later retreated from that story but continued to create the impression he was sanctioned by the CIA. According to friends, he died a millionaire. A secretary for Threave Main Stud said Thornton's parents are "burned out on talking to the press" and had nothing more to add. Annette Anderson Obituary - Birmingham, AL Annette was a devoted mother and wife full of unconditional love and loyalty. One DEA agent who previously worked with Thornton called him a 007 paramilitary type personality, according to The Washington Post, while an FBI agent described him as a little boy who never grew up., He believed he was an impeccable warrior, Betty Zairing, Thorntons ex-wife, told The Washington Post in 1985. So was James Lambert, once a prominent Lexington businessman who is now awaiting sentencing on a recent federal cocaine distribution conviction. "He was a trained warrior -- a very efficient killer trained by the U.S. government," she says. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}How Pete Davidsons Life Inspired Bupkis, Jerry Springers Surprising Stint as a Politician, 7 Memorable Guests from The Late Late Show, Tucker Carlson Leaves Fox News. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. The bag that had carried the cocaine becomes the focus of a mystery roughly 30 years later. Sign up for service and obituary updates. This man had known Brown and Thornton for many years, had watched them go from one side of law enforcement to the other. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Sally Ann Denton, a former TV and wire service reporter, covered part of the Thornton story in Kentucky. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.