mynameis
09-11-2007, 01:51 PM
Pathologist finally examining organs of woman who died in airport police custody
November 6th, 2007 · 3 Comments
It is simply amazing, and frankly very suspicious, that the organs have been held back from independent examination for a month and that they still have not been allowed to examine the room where Gotbaum died. This on top of the fact that the story about her somehow getting her handcuffs in front of her and strangling herself still stinks.
PW
. . .
Associated Press | Nov 5, 2007
PHOENIX – An independent pathologist hired by relatives of a New York woman who died in police custody during an airport layover has been able to examine some key body parts, a lawyer for the family said Monday.
Pathologist Cyril Wecht had previously conducted an autopsy on Carol Anne Gotbaum but he didn’t have access to her brain, heart or neck muscles until last week, preventing him from doing a thorough investigation, said the attorney, Michael Manning.
Manning said the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office gave Wecht access to the body parts on Friday.
He said the neck muscles and the brain can help Wecht determine whether Gotbaum died from asphyxia, and that the brain and heart also are important to learn whether Gotbaum may have had a pre-existing condition that caused her death on Sept. 28.
“It’s not all that we need, but they’re certainly three important parts of her body that we needed to look at,” Manning said.
He said all Wecht needs now are tissue slides and photographs taken during a separate autopsy conducted by the medical examiner’s office, and that will be sufficient for Wecht’s investigation into Gotbaum’s death.
He said Wecht is working on his report at his Pittsburgh office and hopefully will be done by Dec. 1.
The medical examiner’s office is working on its own report, and has not yet released its findings.
Carol Ann Gotbaum arrest video - YouTube
Gotbaum, the stepdaughter-in-law of New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, died at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport. She had been arrested on a disorderly conduct charge after she was kept off a connecting flight that was to bring her to Tucson, where she was to enter an alcohol treatment center.
Authorities have said that Gotbaum, who was handcuffed and shackled to a bench in an airport holding room, may have accidentally strangled herself. Police have said they followed procedures when dealing with her.
Gotbaum was married to Noah Gotbaum, son of retired labor leader Victor Gotbaum and stepson of Betsy Gotbaum. The couple lived in Manhattan with their three children.
Manning said another key to investigating Gotbaum’s death is seeing and photographing the room at the airport where she died.
He said he asked Phoenix police last week to get access to the room, and that he’s hoping he and an investigator will be allowed in Monday or Tuesday.
“We still can’t figure out how in the world this could have happened to her, even if she had been watched, even if she had been observed,” Manning said. “We need to see the bench, the shackles, and just get ourselves oriented to the room, because it just seems so improbable that she could get those cuffs up in front of her and somehow die in there.”
Carol Gotbaum was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and worked as a department store buyer in London before moving to New York with her husband.
http://aftermathnews.wordpress.com/2007/11/06/pathologist-finally-examining-organs-of-woman-who-died-in-airport-police-custody/
November 6th, 2007 · 3 Comments
It is simply amazing, and frankly very suspicious, that the organs have been held back from independent examination for a month and that they still have not been allowed to examine the room where Gotbaum died. This on top of the fact that the story about her somehow getting her handcuffs in front of her and strangling herself still stinks.
PW
. . .
Associated Press | Nov 5, 2007
PHOENIX – An independent pathologist hired by relatives of a New York woman who died in police custody during an airport layover has been able to examine some key body parts, a lawyer for the family said Monday.
Pathologist Cyril Wecht had previously conducted an autopsy on Carol Anne Gotbaum but he didn’t have access to her brain, heart or neck muscles until last week, preventing him from doing a thorough investigation, said the attorney, Michael Manning.
Manning said the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office gave Wecht access to the body parts on Friday.
He said the neck muscles and the brain can help Wecht determine whether Gotbaum died from asphyxia, and that the brain and heart also are important to learn whether Gotbaum may have had a pre-existing condition that caused her death on Sept. 28.
“It’s not all that we need, but they’re certainly three important parts of her body that we needed to look at,” Manning said.
He said all Wecht needs now are tissue slides and photographs taken during a separate autopsy conducted by the medical examiner’s office, and that will be sufficient for Wecht’s investigation into Gotbaum’s death.
He said Wecht is working on his report at his Pittsburgh office and hopefully will be done by Dec. 1.
The medical examiner’s office is working on its own report, and has not yet released its findings.
Carol Ann Gotbaum arrest video - YouTube
Gotbaum, the stepdaughter-in-law of New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, died at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport. She had been arrested on a disorderly conduct charge after she was kept off a connecting flight that was to bring her to Tucson, where she was to enter an alcohol treatment center.
Authorities have said that Gotbaum, who was handcuffed and shackled to a bench in an airport holding room, may have accidentally strangled herself. Police have said they followed procedures when dealing with her.
Gotbaum was married to Noah Gotbaum, son of retired labor leader Victor Gotbaum and stepson of Betsy Gotbaum. The couple lived in Manhattan with their three children.
Manning said another key to investigating Gotbaum’s death is seeing and photographing the room at the airport where she died.
He said he asked Phoenix police last week to get access to the room, and that he’s hoping he and an investigator will be allowed in Monday or Tuesday.
“We still can’t figure out how in the world this could have happened to her, even if she had been watched, even if she had been observed,” Manning said. “We need to see the bench, the shackles, and just get ourselves oriented to the room, because it just seems so improbable that she could get those cuffs up in front of her and somehow die in there.”
Carol Gotbaum was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and worked as a department store buyer in London before moving to New York with her husband.
http://aftermathnews.wordpress.com/2007/11/06/pathologist-finally-examining-organs-of-woman-who-died-in-airport-police-custody/