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Bedford made national news this spring when resident Mary Richardson Kennedy, estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was found dead May 16 at her home at 326 S. Bedford Road.
Soon after the Westchester Medical Examiner determined Kennedy, 52, hung herself, an emotional feud broke out between the son of the late Bobby Kennedy and Mary’s family.
The Richardsons took court action against RFK Jr. regarding custody of her body, but Kennedy won the suit and had her buried at a cemetery in Hyannis Port, Mass., site of the Kennedy compound.
Hundreds attended the funeral for the architect, environmental activist and mother of four, who was well-known in the Bedford and Mount Kisco area.
Speculations about why Kennedy killed herself were rampant: one theory blamed her reported issues with drinking. Kennedy had a record of DWI arrests in the months after RFK Jr. began divorce proceedings in 2010. In July, however, toxicology results showed Kennedy had no alcohol in her system at the time of her suicide.
As the year went on, controversy continued to crop up around Kennedy's death: RFK Jr. alleged Mary was abusive, then was widely criticized for moving her burial plot to another spot in the cemetery, and later, a legal battle ensued regarding Mary Kennedy’s estate.Then in November, investigation into Kennedy's death was renewed when the Richardson's hired investigators to look into certain "unanswered questions."
In October, the Kennedy’s famous eco-friendly home was put on the market. The scene of Mary Kennedy’s tragic suicide reportedly sold for $4 million.
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