Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - What happened to Beth Lochtefeld?

March 2024 ยท 5 minute read

Beth Lochtefeld, a 44-year-old successful New York-based businesswoman, was found stabbed to death in a Nantucket cottage in October 2004. She died from excessive blood loss and difficulty breathing caused by stab wounds to her back and chest.

The victim's ex-boyfriend, Thomas Toolan III, was found guilty of the murder three years later. It was alleged that Toolan, who had a history of substance abuse, murdered the entrepreneur two days after she broke up with him.

An upcoming episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will further delve into Beth Lochtefeld's murder case this Tuesday, February 14, 2023. The episode, titled Murder on Nantucket Island, airs on Oxygen at 7 pm ET.

The synopsis of the episode states:

"On Nantucket Island, Mass., a couple's connection is instantaneous, but their summer romance takes a tragic turn; it seems like an open-and-shut case, but there's a surprise in store."

New York entrepreneur Beth Lochtefeld was stabbed to death in her Nantucket cottage two days after break-up

Beth Lochtefeld grew up in Peekskill, New York, and spent her summers as a child in Nantucket, where her father, John, was an artist and art gallery owner. She graduated from Notre Dame and even taught English in Japan. She moved to New York and began a consulting firm called Code NYC, but eventually sold the business for about $1.5 million and moved to Nantucket, where her parents lived.

On Labor Day 2004, she met Thomas Toolan III in Nantucket after being introduced by a common friend, and they started dating. But after a passionate six-week-long relationship, she broke up with Toolan a few days before she was killed. A heartbroken Toolan was not happy about the breakup.

Beth then took a flight to Nantucket on October 23, 2004. On the way, she even stopped at the police station to inquire about how to get a restraining order. Two days later, she sent a box to Toolan in New York, telling the clerk that it was for her "psycho" ex-boyfriend.

Thomas Toolan III pictured in police custody (Image via Cape Cod Times)

That same day, on October 25, Toolan flew to Nantucket, rented a Ford Escape, bought two knives, and drove to Lochtefeld's cottage, where he stabbed her 23 times once she returned home. Later that day, he was pulled over by a state trooper while traveling south on Interstate 95 in Rhode Island and was taken into custody after failing two Breathalyzer tests.

Beth Lochtefeld's ex-boyfriend was found guilty of her murder twice

According to reports, Beth Lochtefeld died of serious stab wounds to her back and chest. She also had defensive cuts on her hands, which suggested a struggle. One of her nostrils had also been cut. Authorities used a rape kit to confirm that she was not s*xually assaulted during the encounter. The murder weapon was never found.

Thomas Toolan was first convicted in 2007 on a first-degree murder charge, but his conviction was reversed a few years later in 2011. A second trial was scheduled two years later, and Toolan was found guilty again. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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