Friends, family mourn Estero doctor Teresa Sievers

The killing of a popular Estero doctor has left family and friends puzzled and saddened.

The body of Dr. Teresa Ann Sievers, 46, was found Monday morning at her Jarvis Road home after she didn't arrive at work.

"We don't know anything but that she was murdered," said Sievers' sister, Annie Lisa, 52. She said Sievers, her husband and children had come to Connecticut for a gathering and her sister flew home alone Sunday.

"She called her husband and told him she got there safely," Lisa said. "We don't know what happened."

Lisa said she and other family members were making preparations to come to Florida.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office declined to discuss the case, saying it was an ongoing homicide investigation, but assured neighbors that there was no threat in the area, but they reminded residents to lock their doors.

Tiffany Wood, a sheriff's office spokeswoman, said the neighborhood, south of East Terry Street, rarely has any problems.

The neighborhood remained taped off Tuesday with crime lab vans and other sheriff's units parked in front of the home at 27034 Jarvis Road.

"Certainly, people wonder about their safety because that's not a bad neighborhood," said Sharon Hood, founder and publisher of the Naples-based eBella Magazine.

Sievers appeared on the May cover of eBella Magazine and spoke at conferences the magazine held.

"She always wanted to empower women," Hood said.

Sievers was well-known in Southwest Florida for writing about women's health issues and concerns. She wrote for several publications, including The News-Press, and appeared on local television.

"When you were in her presence, there were a zillion ideas that could come out," Hood said. "She never lacked in ideas, she always had new project."

Sievers had a profound commitment to the blending of traditional and holistic medicines, Hood said.

"To her there was room for both," she said. "She felt they could compliment one another."

Hood said her staff was saddened by the death of their friend since they heard Monday night.

"Somebody who's been cut down in their prime, it brings everybody back to their mortality," she said. "... She was small in stature but large in spirit ... a real spitfire."

What Hood remembers most is that Sievers was always seemingly in motion.

"She didn't let a lot of grass grow under her feet," Hood said.

Sievers leaves behind her husband Mark and their two daughters, ages 8 and 10, which is especially tragic, she said.

"It's hard to know somebody who had so much life and know you're never going to see them again," Hood said.

Sievers was particularly interested in helping people avoid age-related disorders.

She described the type of medicine she practiced on her LinkedIn page: "Often when patients come to see me they have seen several conventional medical doctors and are not getting the answers they want or more importantly they are not getting better. My goal is to prevent age-related illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, dementia, cancer, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis as well as look for root causes of problems."

Sievers operated the Restorative Health & Healing Center in the Estero Medical Center off Three Oaks Parkway and Coconut Road. A sign was placed on her office's door informing patients of her death Tuesday, but employees at the Arco Road practice in Estero declined comment.

Lisa said her sister was board certified in internal medicine, held a medical master of science degree in metabolic and nutritional medicine, and obtained numerous private certifications in anti-aging, functional, integrative and holistic medicine, and transcutaneous acupuncture.

"After nearly 20 years of clinical experience and years of additional training, she is one of the first medical doctors in Southwest Florida to openly embrace and offer energetic healing, allowing her to offer her patients a complete healing toolkit at "Restorative Health and Healing," Lisa said in an information email about her sister's writings sent to The News-Press before the killing.

In 1996, Sievers graduated with honors from Ross University School of Medicine. She became board certified in internal medicine after completing her residency at a University of Florida in Jacksonville, where she was awarded resident of the year.

A spokeswoman for Naples Community Hospital, Debbie Curry, said Sievers had community affiliation privileges with the hospital. Sievers also held clinical faculty status at the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa.

Sievers has done endocrinology work for those who identify as transgender individuals.

Sievers volunteered with Our Mother's Home, a transitional home for teen mothers and their babies near San Carlos Park.

"She wanted to make a difference for young girls who needed that," Hood said.

"Dr. Sievers had so much more life to live and many more contributions I know she would want to give," Hood said. "She will be greatly missed and we can only hope to help fill in some of the gap by staying involved in Our Mother's Home in her honor."

Karen Watson, director of Our Mother's Home, said she knew Sievers as a caring person who had been active with the house since 2007, resigning in March from the board to focus on her practice.

"She was a loving, kind person," Watson said.

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About Dr. Teresa Sievers

•Dr. Teresa Sievers was born in Ansonia, Connecticut, and moved in 1996 during her internal medicine residency at UF Health Jacksonville. She moved to Bonita Springs in 2005 and completed further post doctoral training in anti-aging and functional medicine.

•She was the founder of Restorative Health and Healing Center, an integrative practice, in Estero. She volunteered with Our Mother's home and headed a weekly parenting and mentoring class at Our Mother's Home .

•She was married with two children. She was a vegetarian and self-proclaimed chef.

•Sievers was a 2012 top five finalist in the Apex Awards presented by the Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce Women in Business.

Source: Our Mother's Home, various others