Guide Note
September 29, 2007: Carol Ann Gotbaum died while in TSA custody at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona after having been arrested for disorderly conduct. Gotbaum was headed to Tuscon to enter an alcohol treatment program.
Carol Ann Gotbaum is the daughter-in-law of New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum. Authorities believe Gotbaum accidentally strangled herself while trying to escape her handcuffs.
On March 26, 2008, her family filed an $8 million claim, the first step in filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
Fast Facts
- A native of Cape Town, South Africa
- Earned MBA from University of Witwatersrand
- She had previously attempted suicide twice
- Gotbaum was 45 at time of death
- Married Betsy Gotbaum's stepson Noah in 1995
- The mother of 3 children
- Handcuffed behind her back
- Was left alone for five to ten minutes
- Lived in a W. 95th St. Townhouse in New York
Airport Arrest
Gotbaum became irate and unmanageable, after she was denied a seat on an overbook flight. She was subsequently arrested and handcuffed by Phoenix police. Following her tragic death, toxicology reports indicated a blood alcohol level of 0.24%, three times the Arizona legal standard for drunkenness.
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