Husband's Calls To Airport Came Too Late
Phoenix Police Say Call Logs Show Authorities Were Warned Too Late To Save Dead Woman
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Play CBS Video Video Airport Death Update The family of Carol Gotbaum said she was headed to rehab in Arizona when she was arrested at the Phoenix airport, where she later died of suffocation. Jeff Glor reports.
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Video Expert On Airport Death Harry Smith speaks with forensic pathologist Daniel Spitz about Carol Gotbaum's death by suffocation after being arrested at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
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Video Officer On Airport Death Sgt. Andy Hill of the Phoenix police department tells Harry Smith the daughter-in-law of New York City public advocate Betsy Gotbaum was taken into custody after reports of outrageous behavior.
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The autopsy conducted Tuesday on Carol Anne Gotbaum was inconclusive, and toxicology results needed to determine a cause of death will not be available for a few weeks, a county medical examiner said. (AP/Office of NYC Public Advocate)
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Photo Essay Terminal Traffic Four U.S. airports among the world's 10 busiest in 2007.
On Thursday, Phoenix police released transcripts of Noah Gotbaum's phone calls inquiring about the welfare of his wife, Carol Anne Gotbaum, that were placed on the same afternoon she was arrested and later found dead in a holding room at Sky Harbor International Airport on Sept. 28.
But a police review of call logs showed Noah Gorbaum's earliest call to Sky Harbor on that day came at 4:39 p.m., a little more than an hour after she died, police said Friday.
The department issued a statement that said police "had no information about her personal issues prior to her arrest and death."
Carol Gotbaum's cause of death is still under investigation and will likely not be available for at least two weeks, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner said.
The 45-year-old mother of three and stepdaughter-in-law of New York's public advocate was on her way to alcohol rehabilitation in Tucson, Ariz., when she was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge after causing a disturbance in the airport terminal.
Surveillance video show her running through an airport terminal, bowing abruptly as she appeared to yell and then resisting arrest as three officers try to control her.
After police handcuffed Carol Gotbaum behind her back, she locked her legs as officers held her by the arms and pushed her, still standing, through the terminal at Sky Harbor, the video shows.
Police released the video Thursday and their report on her arrest amid allegations from Gotbaum's family that officers manhandled her before her death.
The family and the attorney have said they will not comment during a mourning period that ends early next week.
Noah Gotbaum has said he exchanged several phone calls with his wife during her two-hour layover at Sky Harbor.
He called emergency dispatchers before learning of his wife's death to say she was in a deep depression and suicidal, according to the police report.
But police said Friday in a statement that Carol Gotbaum "died prior to any call being made by Mr. Noah Gotbaum to the Airport Communications Center and prior to the Phoenix Police Department Airport officers having any information about her."
Police said Carol Gotbaum was shackled to a bench and left alone in a holding room where she was later found unconscious and not breathing, with the chain from the shackle pulled against the front of her neck.
Carol Gotbaum was pronounced dead by Phoenix Fire Department paramedics at 3:29 p.m. and the first call from her husband to the Airport Communications Center came in at 4:39 p.m., police said Friday.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 84 CommentsAnd if her condition was that "volatile" why was she allowed to travel "alone" in the first place, without the assistance of a responsible guardian..
As for her husband calling and warning the airlines of his wife''s volatile and irrational behavior, do they actually have the "manpower" to individually "babysit" passengers, no..
They restrained an irate passenger then called the police, of which, in between time, she hanged herself and now they''re being held responsible, and most of you are actually defending this bogus claim.
Well, what this demonstrates there are a lot of thoughtless parasites who feel "if they sneeze then wipe my nose".
I do NOT feel the police to be responsible in any way - other removing a potential danger to other citizens (she was throwing hard objects) and removing a serious distraction (would YOU like to fly after a verbal volly such as she was giving?) They were text-book in their handling of her - it''s video recorded.
As for her family - SHE was an adult and obviously made it to the New York airport and then the Phoenix TWO HOUR LAY OVER - which she somehow ''missed''. Their belated wolf cry of ''she''s suicidal'' is just that - if true - they''re guilty of a lot, inlcuding public endangerment.
No details were really given as to how she was finally shackled to the bench. It''s possible she could''ve perfomed a ''black out high'' on herself to make herself feel better - and misjudged.
Toxicology reports will answer a lot of questions with this.
Okay, now I am going to puke.
"I think the police should not have left her unattended in a holding cell...however I believe her husband should be further investigated." posted by GrammaWhammma
I agree. I am quite sure he could have gone with her if he wanted to and if he couldn''t go, surely he could have found someone to go with her.
It would be very interesting to find out exactly what the conversations were about between him and his wife.
Why don''t you do us all a favor and just shut up.
tuckerndfw, if you were in my dept, I''d dismiss you on the spot for such ignorance.
You clearly have little humanity or compassion in your being.
Some people are a force for good. You clearly are not. And it''s little wonder that people die in custody, when people like you are allowed to wear a badge.
If Carol Gotbaum was calm for one hour and 43 minutes after missing her original flight and then after talking to her husband on the phone she started her disturbance and screaming "I am not a terrorist". I have to wonder what her husband said to her on the phone. I doubt if he was a loving husband since he did not arrange for someone to accompany his wife. It is also odd that he didn''t call the airport to check up on his wife until over an hour after she had died.
I think the police should not have left her unattended in a holding cell...however I believe her husband should be further investigated.
So sad. So avoidable.
***This speaks volumes about your perspective on this CIVILIAN situation.
Police officers are trained to handle emergency situations calmly and quickly. The public relies on *level headed* officers who can accurately assess a situation and bring in supportive assistance as necessary. These pinkertons were out of their league here. They acted inappropriately to the situation at hand. She could have been subdued in a much less aggressive manner with EMS called in for support.
The woman was manhandled-the videos show this and the autopsy will confirm it. Airport security is totally liable in this case.
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