11 Responses

1. Baruch Dayan Haemes. Kol HaKavod Misaskim.

2. Is this necessarily a good thing? Perhaps a respectfully performed limited autopsy under rabbinic guidance would reveal foul play or an underlying illness that predisposes her daughter to the same fate and can now not be screened for or even prevented.

3. Baruch Dayan Haemes.

   #2 – Interesting thought.

4. eses, regretfully, I agree. It could possibly help the child in the long run. But, an autopsy can sometimes be done with an MRI or PET Scan verses having an invasive post-mortem. Use available technology first before forcing an invasive procedure.

5. Esses:
   And why do you assume that Rabbonim didn’t think of that option?

6. The nifteres’ name in hebrew is Shaina Mindel bas Yechiel Hillel.

7. Detectives suspect the victim grabbed a handle to lift herself out of the tub, and the handle gave way.

   BS”D

   There you go. End of story. No need for an autopsy, not invasive and not otherwise. BD”E.

8. to #2
   I wonder if you would feel likewise if the person involved was chas v’shalom your daughter, sister or wife!

9. i dont know how anyone else would feel, but if chas v’shalom MY mother passed away suddenly for no apparent reason, i would want to do everything in my power to find the cause.

10. #5 – I have no idea if the rabbonim thought of that option or not. The point is that an autopsy was apparently not performed and whether or not the rabbonim thought about or not doesn’t change the fact that we will now never know whether foul play or an underlying illness caused this woman’s demise.

    #7 – I admire your naivete. The detectives may in fact SUSPECT this, but that doesn’t mean that other possible causes of death need not be explored. Police officials are not physicians and do not have the expertise to adequately and accurately determine a cause of death. Personnel from the city’s medical examiner’s office do.

    #8 – your compassion is a bit misplaced. The point is not to bury one’s head in the sand because it may make one feel better, but rather to investigate an unusual death (and yes, an otherwise healthy 47 year old falling and dying instantaneously from such a fall is indeed very unusual) in a responsible and satisfactory manner.

11. You have to respect the wishes of the family. I knew Shele very well…she was a dear dear friend and an Orthodox Jewish girl…..Jewish law dictates no autopsy….if there was foul play, the police will find out the truth;
    my heart goes out to their family..it is indeed tragic and quite unbeleivable.
    may she rest in peace
    vicki garfinkel jakubovic