Husband a suspect in death at resort

A judge has ordered Florence Unger's children removed from her husband Mark Unger's care, after prosecutors called him a suspect in her death and expressed fears for their sons' safety.

Benzie County Circuit Judge Nancy Kida agreed Monday that Max, 10, and Tyler, 7, should be placed with Peter Stern, Florence Unger's brother.

The petition seeking the boys' removal, filed by county Prosecutor Anthony Cicchelli, identified Mark Unger, 43, as a suspect in his wife's death and questioned his emotional stability. Court documents say Unger had been abusing prescription drugs and recently entered a drug rehabilitation program.

"Think about it: If you have small kids and there's an investigation, you do not want to send them home with that guy," Cicchelli said. "I don't expect it to be a long investigation."

An autopsy was performed in Grand Rapids on Monday, and results are expected today. Investigators took blood and hair samples from Mark Unger and await the findings of forensic tests. Police also searched the couple's rented cottage, their home in Huntington Woods and Mark Unger's Ford Expedition.

Robert Harrison, Unger's attorney based in Birmingham, dismissed the suspicions surrounding his client.

"It would really be nothing new for a spouse to be a suspect in the death of another spouse," Harrison said. "Detective class 101 says the first person to look at is the spouse, so that's not earthshaking."

Harrison said he would not immediately notify Unger that prosecutors described him as a suspect.

Florence Unger's body was found floating in a foot of water at the shoreline of Lower Herring Lake on Saturday morning. She had a wound to her head and her blood tinted the water.

Unger, 37, arrived at the Watervale Inn, south of Frankfort and near Lake Michigan, a day earlier with her husband and two sons for a weekend getaway from their Huntington Woods home.

A friend of Florence Unger said she was not looking forward to spending the weekend with her husband, from whom she filed for divorce Aug. 26. In court filings, Mark Unger said he believed they could reconcile. He insisted that the family make the trip, said Larry Albright, Florence Unger's personal trainer at the Beverly Hills Racquet and Health Club, who last saw her Friday morning. Albright began training Florence Unger eight months ago.

"I know she did not want to go up north for the weekend," Albright said. "She did not want to spend the week with her husband, but her husband wanted the weekend, so she finally agreed. And she'd already told the kids about the divorce at least a couple weeks ago. In fact, the day she did it she told me about the conversation and said the boys understood."

Nearly 700 mourners packed the Ira Kaufman Chapel in Southfield on Tuesday to bid farewell to Florence Unger.

Family members, including Unger's husband and their two sons, were ushered through a private entrance and stayed out of sight until the service.

The audience recited the 23rd Psalm, led by Rabbi Joseph Klein of Temple Emanu-El in Oak Park, where the Unger family are members.

"Many of us are unwilling and unable to accept Flo's death," Klein told mourners.

"Florence Unger was in many ways a sustaining light of beauty and peace. With her artistic eye, she brought beauty into the hearts and souls of all who knew her."

Florence Unger studied photography at the University of Michigan and recently began showing her black-and-white works in local galleries. She enjoyed horseback riding, shopping for antiques, reading and entertaining friends and family.

She was also remembered as a dedicated friend who called and sent daily notes to friends across the country and the world.

A relative of Mark Unger's introduced the pair in the late 1980s. They dated for nearly two years, marrying in 1990. Close friends described their courtship and marriage as typical, calling Max and Tyler the couple's greatest joy. Florence Unger spent several years as a stay-at-home mom, more recently taking a job as a mortgage loan officer for Flagstar Bank in Royal Oak.

Mark Unger worked as a mortgage broker, opening Reliable Mortgage out of his home in 1998. He was formerly a sportscaster for now-defunct WJZZ-FM.

Although suspicion swirls around Mark Unger, friends and family members said they don't know what to think.

"Everyone is talking about this, and there is a very split camp," said Lori Silverstein, a Huntington Woods resident and close friend of Florence Unger for nearly 16 years.

Others, such as Arlene Delidow, a relative to the Ungers by marriage, focused on Mark Unger's dedication to his children.

"He always seemed like a very warm, loving person," said Delidow of Bloomfield Hills. Her husband, Norton Delidow, said, "They have really nice kids. It's a reflection on both of them."

Max and Tyler attend school in Huntington Woods. On Monday, students were sent home with letters asking parents to discuss the difference between facts and rumors, while reminding students to treat the boys with sensitivity. Counseling will also be offered to students having difficulty coping with the death.