Woman Who Died At Airport Was Rehab-Bound

(CBS/AP)  A woman who died after being handcuffed and detained at the Phoenix airport was on her way to an alcohol rehabilitation program in Tucson, her family's lawyer said Monday.

Carol Anne Gotbaum, 45, became irate Friday when she was late for a flight and a gate crew didn't let her on the plane. Officers handcuffed her behind her back and took her to a holding room, where she kept screaming, authorities said.

Gotbaum was wrestled to the ground as she fought back, reports CBS News correspondent Meg Oliver. She was subdued, handcuffed, and led away screaming, "I am not a terrorist!"

Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Hill told CBS' The Early Show people were telling police that a woman was yelling and screaming and running around the concourse.

"That certainly was, you know, outrageous behavior, and that's why we responded and she ended up getting arrested, yes," said Hill, who offered his condolences to the Gotbaum family.

Hill said officers checked on Gotbaum regularly while she was detained. During one of the checks, officers found Gotbaum unconscious with her hands "pressed against her neck area," Hill said.

Attorney Michael Manning, who was hired by Gotbaum's family to monitor the police investigation, said it doesn't seem possible she could have killed herself.

"It doesn't make any sense," he said. "She was handcuffed behind her back and shackled to a table. It doesn't make sense that she could have physically managed to strangle herself."

Manning plans to send a representative to watch the county medical examiner's autopsy of Gotbaum's body Tuesday. He'll conduct his own inquiry as to whether police followed proper procedure.

Gotbaum, the mother of three, was the daughter-in-law of New York City's longtime public advocate, Betsy Gotbaum.

Manning, a high-profile lawyer who represented the government against failed savings and loan executive Charles Keating, has previously won settlements against Sheriff Joe Arpaio in wrongful-death lawsuits. He said the family hasn't decided whether it should file a lawsuit against Phoenix police.

"We're not going to jump to any conclusions without any evidence," he said. "We want to see what the autopsy reveals. We want to see what exactly happened to her. We know that Phoenix PD requires somebody in this condition be observed and checked at least every 15 minutes. We don't know that that happened."

Hill said officers followed established policy while detaining Gotbaum. He added that police procedures for arresting someone at the airport haven't changed since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

"Everything, so far that we know, is according to policy," Hill said.

[my1escape]

Sounds a lot like DT''s to me. If she did not have ETOH in her system and was an alcoholic. She would have a 30% chance of dying, even if she was hospitalized. With chances pushing 95% in an airport or jail cell. People die daily from DT''s in a hospital setting.

[lollipop2007-2009]

"Don''t taze me, Bro!", was the last thing she said before she expired.

[rggribbins]

You are treated so rude at alot of airports in this country. We belong here and yet we are treated as outsiders. We didn''t do this to our country. The police treat us as if we did. But the police are not gods. So they need to stop acting as if they are. Not only in the airports but on the streets. When you screw up you should pay also. Those children are going to lose the rest of their lives and no amount of money will ever bring their mom back. So live with that one!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know who you are.

[lwessonmon]

I would like to know what she did that caused police to cuff her to begin with

[lwessonmon]

Cops are out of control in America. We have politicians preaching against the use of force by our troops in Iraq breaking into peoples'' homes in the dead of night, yet we allow cops in America to brutalize civilians. This sends a chilling message. Cops are no more qualified to determine the threat of a human being any more than the average Joe. A cop is only a citizen paid by a municipality to make arrests when a law has been broke. I would like to know what law this woman broke.

[miketcarey]

Mrs Carol Anne Gotbaum mother of 3 children was Killed by the Pheonix police department. They claim they folowed all policies and procedures BUT this inocent Mother is Dead? The internet has opened our eyes to the many Abuses of our local police department.... What hapened to "TO SERVE AND PROTECT"?
WE ALL NEED TO COMPLAIN.. This could be your mother, sister, grandma!
Mike

[andomeda]

ReginaRegina:
I guess you must know Ms. Gotbaum personally to know just what "chemicals" she was putting in her body. You also must have been in the room where she was being held to know with such certainty exactly how and why she died. Perhaps you also conducted a secret autopsy before the authorities could do so. You certainly "know" a great deal and seem amazingly certain of your conclusions. The rest of us prefer to wait until the real autopsy and investigation are concluded before we make up our minds.

[reginaregina]

She died because SHE abused her OWN body by repeatedly pumping it full of chemicals that didn''t belong there, not because of anything the police did or did not do.

[redm4-2009]

heartless Regina Regina,i hope what happened to this poor woman won''t happen to you and your love ones..why keep defending Sgt.Hill?THE ISSUE HERE IS WHY THIS WOMAN DIED UNDER THE CUSTODY OF YOUR POLICE FRIENDS!!

[savagesteve13]

She was murdered. To understand how police work, google "kenneth trentadue". It happens ALL THE TIME.