SILSBEE, Texas — The family of a Lumberton man who died in 2018 and whose body was exhumed in 2022 is remembering their loved one fondly as they continue their search for answers.
Kolby Kulhanek was 25 years old when deputies found his body near a dirt pit in October 2018.
"He was a great kid," Susan Kulhanek, Kolby Kulhanek's mother, said. "He would have you laughing in stitches. He just lit up a room. He was just a lot of fun."
Related: New autopsy results bring mother of Lumberton man who died in 2018 one step closer to closure
Jefferson County deputies flying the department's helicopter spotted him in the 9400 block of Cooks Lake Road in Lumberton. The Lumberton man had been missing for a week before his body was discovered.
"The hardest part of all this is that someone took that from us," Kevin Kulhanek, Kolby Kulhanek's father, said. "He was 25 years old and that’s horrible."
Before finding Kolby Kulhanek, officials found his car half a mile away from where his body was located.
A medical examiner ruled Kolby Kulhanek’s death an accidental drowning despite there being no fluid in his lungs. Following the ruling, his mom fought to get her son’s body re-examined.
In November 2022, Kolby Kulhanek's body was exhumed and sent to the University of North Texas for examination. The new results revealed the Lumberton man’s death was drug related.
While some answers have been provided, the family still has questions.
Amid their continued fight for answers, the family is remembering Kolby Kulhanek. They held a memorial service Saturday, February 18, 2023, at Broussard's in Silsbee.
"He never met a stranger," Susan Kulhanek said. "We would go in the grocery store, and he was friends with everybody in the store before we left."
Susan Kulhanek described her son as funny and outgoing. She said throughout his childhood and into his adult years, he made friends everywhere he went.
"Kolby had friends from all walks," Susan Kulhanek said. "You just meet him and that was it."
While attending Lumberton High School, Kolby Kulhanek played football. After graduating, he became a welder.
"He loved welding and that’s why he’s in a gold casket today," Susan Kulhanek said. "His nickname was the 24K. His dad taught him to weld and he always told his dad he was going to be better him and that he would have golden arms, and that’s kind of how he got his nickname."
Kevin Kulhanek believes his son achieved that goal.
"He was good," Kevin Kulhanek said. "He was better than me."
The father said his son not only had a super bubbly personality but also a huge heart.
"Even if you were mad at him, you couldn’t stay mad at him," Kevin Kulhanek said. "He would help anyone, I mean anyone. He never drove by anybody standing on a street corner and if he had five bucks, he’d give it to them."
Kolby Kulhanek's family is asking anyone who has any information about what happened to their loved one to contact the Hardin County Sheriff's Office. They are offering a $25,000 reward.
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