FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Oct. 18) – The family of a Minnesota woman who died more than a week after being overcome in an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony said Sunday that she prided herself on leading a healthy and active life.
Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake suffered multiple organ damage and was in a coma before she died Saturday at a Flagstaff hospital. She was among dozens crowded into the sweat lodge on Oct. 8 at a resort just outside Sedona, a town 115 miles north of Phoenix that draws many in the New Age spiritual movement.
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Arizona Retreat Tragedy
Two deaths in a sweat lodge during a retreat lead by self-help expert James Arthur Ray, above, were not accidental, a local sheriff said Thursday. But whether authorities can prove a criminal case in the Oct. 8 incident has not yet been determined, Yavapai County Sheriff Steve Waugh said. The case is being treated as a homicide investigation and Ray is the primary focus.
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"She always had a smile on her face and her positive attitude was contagious to those around her," her family said in statement. "She was loved and will be missed by many."
Louis Diesel, an attorney for her family, said appropriate measures were not taken to prevent Neuman's death and that he was planning a lawsuit on their behalf.
"She left this world way too soon," he said Sunday.
Self-help expert and author James Arthur Ray had rented the Angel Valley Retreat Center for his five-day "Spiritual Warrior" event that culminated in a sweat lodge ceremony.
Between 55 and 65 people were in the makeshift sweat lodge over a two-hour period, and authorities said participants were highly encouraged but not forced to remain inside for the entire time. An emergency call reported two people without a pulse and not breathing.
Twenty-one people were taken to area hospitals with illnesses ranging from dehydration to kidney failure. Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee, died upon arrival at a hospital. No one else remains hospitalized.
Sheriff's investigators in Arizona's Yavapai County are treating the deaths as homicides but have yet to determine the cause. Autopsy results for Brown and Shore were pending.
Investigators are looking into the construction of the sweat lodge, the fact that people had fallen ill at previous sweat ceremonies led by Ray and questionable medical care on site as they try to determine whether criminal negligence contributed to the deaths and illnesses.
Authorities have said a nurse hired by Ray was directing rescue efforts including CPR when emergency crews arrived. Ray is the primary focus of the probe but others also are being investigated, Sheriff Steve Waugh has said.
Ray wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday that he was deeply saddened by the news of death of Neuman, whom he had known for more than seven years.
"Liz was an amazing woman who touched so many lives" he wrote. "She'll be cherished and remembered by all. Liz, you're in our hearts forever. My continued love, prayers and support go out to her family in this time of grief and loss."
Neuman had attended Ray's events in the past and served as the leader of a Minneapolis-area "Journey Expansion Team," according to Ray's Web site. The teams, developed by Ray's friends and followers around the country, meet to exchange ideas on his principles.
Ray's pricey retreats are meant to push people beyond their physical and emotional limits, but some people have questioned whether the participants were pushed too far. The "Spiritual Warrior" event is arguably the most physical of Ray's events, and participants paid between $9,000 and $10,000 to attend.
They engaged in a 36-hour fast during a "vision quest" in the nearby wilderness and were served a breakfast buffet before entering the sweat lodge, authorities said.
Ray declined to be interviewed by the sheriff's office on the night of the incident and Arizona authorities said he had not spoken to them as of Thursday. Ray said he has hired his own investigative team.
His spokesman, Howard Bragman, has said that Ray's team and Ray's attorney are cooperating with the sheriff's investigators.
"I think it was a horrible tragedy," Bragman said Sunday. "I'm still saying we have to find out what happened."
