Was Mother of Three Killed at Phoenix Airport?

Contortionists worldwide must be mourning the death of Carol Anne Gotbaum. She was an artist of unparalleled talent, if you believe the cops who arrested, trussed, and imprisoned her at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. She died in their custody last Friday because '[she] had possibly tried to manipulate the handcuffs from behind her to the front, got tangled up in the process and they ended up around her neck,' according to Sgt. Andy Hill.

Go ahead: try it. Hold your hands behind your back and raise them. Now you truly appreciate Mrs. Gotbaum’s unbelievable skill: it’s impossible to lift your arms more than a few vertebrae upward. They won’t go anywhere near your neck.

Rest of story here.

More testimony from experts.

[Phoenix Police Sgt.] Hill said it was possible that Gotbaum may have accidentally strangled herself while trying to escape from the handcuffs.

But former law enforcement officers and police tactics trainers said it would be very unusual for that to happen.

'I can't imagine anatomically how you could do that,' said Roy Bedard, a former police officer who now trains officers in defense tactics, including how to use handcuffs and other restraints. 'I have a hard time seeing how you could get tangled up in them.'"

Though the cause of her death remained a mystery, Hill said, 'It appeared as though Ms. Gotbaum had possibly tried to manipulate the handcuffs from behind her to the front, got tangled up in the process, and they ended up around her neck area.'

But most people whose hands are restrained behind their backs try to slip their hands underneath their legs, said Brad Garrett, a former FBI agent. It is possible for people who are double jointed to move their arms above their heads, but even then, Bedard said, their arms would usually be extended and not near their necks.

Garrett said it was too early to know exactly what happened, but that it would be strange for a person to accidentally choke to death on handcuffs. It would also be very difficult for someone to strangle themselves to death on purpose with the handcuffs, Garrett said.

'If she did that, she's a very determined person,' he said.

Dorothy Dietrich, a magician and escape artist, said she also was not sure how someone could choke themselves to death while trying to escape from handcuffs. 'That would be very hard to do,' she said."