Patrick James Tyler was born July 13, 1977, in Starkville, Mississippi. His father, James, was a physician, and his mother, Maureen, was a medical clerk.
For a while, the family's life was like the proverbial American dream, but in 1979, Maureen gave birth to their second son, Stanley, who contracted an infection that developed into meningitis. Despite the doctors' best efforts, the infant died a month after birth.
After Stanley's death, Maureen was twice admitted to the hospital for overdosing on tranquilizers and regularly consulted a psychiatrist. When Patrick was 10, his mother returned to part-time work at the local dentist's office, which reportedly helped ease Maureen's grief-induced seclusion.
Meanwhile, James spent more hours at work and, within five years, was appointed chief of family medicine.
Once Patrick started school, he did well academically, although report cards often noted he didn't talk much in class and disliked participating in sports. Dr. Tyler frequently boasted to golfing buddies about Patrick's grades and claimed Patrick was headed for a high-flying career as a heart surgeon. Sure enough, Patrick's grades earned him a full scholarship to the University of Mississippi.
In Oxford, Patrick settled into independent life. Classmates recall he was funny and a caring confidante when it came to affairs of the heart. He met Delilah Glenn in one of his science classes, and the two became buddies. Delilah introduced him to all her friends, whom he "dated like a real gentleman," she recalls.
In the spring of 1996, Patrick enrolled in the Peace Corps and served for three years. He returned with Natalie Smith, a fellow volunteer from Texas. They settled in Miami, where Natalie was set to practice immigration law, and married in June 2002.
Natalie was "a real go-getter" and billed 3,230 hours in her first year as an associate. Patrick worked as a researcher at a pharmaceutical company but quit in 2005 without having advanced up the corporate ladder.
He took a part-time job helping administer the local blood bank, admitting to his colleagues that he enjoyed being "a kept man," even as Natalie complained to her fellow associates that her husband was lazy.
The marriage reached a crisis point when Patrick discovered Natalie in bed with a colleague from her firm. Patrick wanted to divorce without contest, but one of his friends insisted on representing him pro bono. Legal documents show Patrick was ultimately awarded $250,000 in late 2008, along with his divorce papers.
Single again, Patrick returned to Oxford, where he rented a room from Cyrus Wheatley, an old college friend, and found a job in the information center at Baptist Memorial Hospital. In 2011, Patrick bought a house in the same Whitehall neighborhood where both Cyrus and his old chum Delilah lived.
In addition to volunteering for Oxford's Meals on Wheels and bowling in the local league, Patrick is also active in the neighborhood's homeowners association, despite his unsuccessful runs for HOA office. He attends all of the meetings and organizes get-togethers for the residents.
