Airport Death Accidental, Autopsy Says

The New York woman who died in police custody at the Phoenix airport last month accidentally hanged herself, a coroner's report says. The autopsy, released today, says Carol Anne Gotbaum had consumed prescription drugs and alcohol and was acutely intoxicated, the Arizona Republic reports. Police arrested and handcuffed Gotbaum, 45, when she became disruptive; she died alone in a holding room.

The report describes five "chain impressions" in a "spiral-type stepwise pattern" around Gotbaum's neck. She was en route to rehab, and her family has commissioned its own autopsy. "This was her first trip to a treatment facility and she was distressed about leaving her kids," said her husband's attorney. (More Carol Ann Gotbaum stories.)