Husband's Calls To Airport Came Too Late

Phoenix Police Say Call Logs Show Authorities Were Warned Too Late To Save Dead Woman

(AP)  The husband of a New York woman who died in police custody made his first call to warn airport authorities here that his wife was suicidal 70 minutes after she was pronounced dead, according to police.

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.

[Krazcarl]

ahhhh tuker you craweled out of the crack in the floor. yes your a wanna be cop and she deserved to die and sticking up for the village idiot your really searching for support. Face the facts your friends acted inapropiately. My question is what do you have to hide to stick up for these idiots????

[Krazcarl]

kaiiumego1...Do you have any idea what your talking about people like you are such a joke you ramble on about nothing and think your intelligent. What does it feel like to be the village idiot. You can''t even speak without being crude so your support means nothing idiot.

[kailumego1]

santafeopera, a logical assumption, because airport security is not responsible for psychological assessments on potential passengers, they are responsible for the safety and welfare of thousands of passengers, of which this one posed a potential threat.

And 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".

[Krazcarl]

sntafeopra...thats about one penny more than it''s worth you barbarian

[santafeopera]

My two cents.

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.

[Krazcarl]

Tucker ... I used to be a nurse didn''t know you had feelings. I''m not a cop hater was the victum of abuse but on the other hand had a cop have me and my lady friend from serious injury in NY while traveling without police it would be anarcky. But this wall of blue protecting the bad examples is not a good thing that''s why these things happen as often as they do in some instaces the police ned to police themselves but rarely do.

[erasmus6]

"Cops love all nurses because all cops know that nurses may someday save their lives." posted by tuckerndfw

Okay, now I am going to puke.

[erasmus6]

"I doubt if he was a loving husband since he did not arrange for someone to accompany his wife."

"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.

[grammawhamma]

I guess how I would have handled it if I was in authority there was to have a female employee of the airport sit with the woman. Since she was already in handcuffs there would have been no danger to the employee that was sitting with her. I''m sure the woman would have been scared of an officer at this point anyway.

[grammawhamma]

tucker: Same posters bashing cops on story about 11 year old in high speed chase. The cop haters I know are all criminals....end of story.