Curse of the Kennedys strikes again?

[Gob]

Robert F Kennedy Jr's estranged wife has been found dead in New York, her attorney says.

Kerry Lawrence said Mary Kennedy, 52, died on Wednesday and he did not know the cause of her death.

In a statement, her family said her "radiant and creative spirit" would be "sorely missed".

Mr Kennedy, a lawyer and radio host, is the nephew of President John F Kennedy and son of Senator Robert F Kennedy, both assassinated in the 1960s.

He was married to Mary for 16 years, and the couple had four children before he filed for divorce in 2010.

"We deeply regret the death of our beloved sister Mary, whose radiant and creative spirit will be sorely missed by those who loved her," the family said in a statement issued by Mr Lawrence.

"Our heart goes out to her children who she loved without reservation."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18098823

[Lord Jim]

Sounds like a suicide, but they don't want to say it...

[BoSoxGal]

Did you click the link LJ?

That second paragraph in the article where they indicate she was found hanged doesn't much obscure the nature of death, does it?

[BoSoxGal]

I was comforted to read that Jr. has been happily dating a TV actress for some time now since filing for divorce from Mary two years ago.

Seems Mary had a substance abuse problem, and showing the 'for better or worse, in sickness and in health' commitment that characterizes the sacred institution of the union between one man and one woman, Jr. dumped her.

Never mind that she's his sister's best friend since school years, and they have four school aged children together.

Hope he's proud of himself; what a man.

[Big RR]

Don't sugarcoat it BSG, tell us what you really think of him.

[dgs49]

A marriage is a very personal thing. I hesitate to condemn someone for getting out. No outsider can ever know the reasons for certain.

I had a wierd reaction to this story when I first read it. My mother, Mary Kennedy [surname] died at age 52 - of a stroke.

God bless the medical examiner for not jumping to conclusions. Found her hanging by the neck. Cause of death: undetermined.

[BoSoxGal]

I'm going through a very bitter stage Big RR; shedding the last vestiges of my youthful idealism.

My last few months of graduate school two inspiring people spoke at my college and hearing them convinced me to get off the fence and commit to law school. One was Ralph Nader and the other Robert Kennedy Jr.

I don't think particularly highly of either of them anymore.

[Guinevere]

And in the end, the legacy of the "beloved" Kennedy matriarch is sons and grandsons who consistently treated the women in their lives like crap. That is as much a tragedy as the young deaths of so many of her sons. Well done, Momma Rose.

[BoSoxGal]

In all fairness, I don't think Rose Kennedy had much control over the example of manhood set for her sons.

Even though she was a child of privilege and was also married to a wealthy man, she was much constrained by the norms of society and the restrictions of her Catholic faith. She left Joe when pregnant with their fourth child and her parents sent her back and basically told her to lie in the bed she had made, so for the rest of her marriage she tolerated his philandering and likely also abuse and control. She was medicated with mental health meds and endured tragedy and grief beyond what most mothers must ever contemplate.

Blaming her is blaming a victim; it makes far more sense to cast aspersions on Joe for the conduct of his sons and their sons.

[Lord Jim]

What I really can't get over with RFK Jr. is his voice....

Has he always sounded like has the past few years, or did he have some sort of injury to his vocal cords?

Close your eyes when he's talking and you'd swear you were listening to Katherine Hepburn....

[Gob]

Close your eyes when he's talking and you'd swear you were listening to Katherine Hepburn....

I bet you say that about ALL the boys...

[Gob]

A spokeswoman for the Westchester County Medical Examiner's Office said a post-mortem examination had revealed the cause of death.

No toxicology test results would be available for several months, she said.

W.T.F.? ? ?

Several months? Why?

[Crackpot]

Probably backed up due to budget cuts

[dales]

No toxicology test results would be available for several months, she said.

Especially if you're a Kennedy.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Well at least Teddy's in the clear on this one.....

[dgs49]

I always wonder about the timeframe for toxicology results. It often seems to take months, even in very public cases where you would think that someone might want to EXPEDITE them.

When I get bloodwork done, the detailed results are emailed to my doctor's office the following morning.

Anybody know why these things take so long when potential criminal activity is involved?

[Crackpot]

because you have to check for just about everything.

[BoSoxGal]

Crime labs are understaffed and overburdened. It's an average of four months here for toxicology done by our crime lab.

I have a DUI case in which my BAC is based on panels run at the ER following MVA. The test was done immediately on the latest equipment. It was part of the patient's medical care and I got the result using an IS. If he'd given us a blood sample and we'd sent it to our lab, it would have taken a few weeks even with a rush request.

It's all about budgets. We send our stuff to the state crime lab 99% of the time because while they are independent of LE, the are contractually obligated to test our stuff.

There's no rush on getting toxicology on a corpse when foul play is not suspected; it goes to the end of the line.

[BoSoxGal]

No, if you walk into a private lab they can test for 'just about everything' very quickly - just like hospitals do on people in the ER where toxicology is critical to diagnosis.

The delay for coroners is about crime lab underfunding/understaffing.

[Crackpot]

THen why have crime labs at all surely you could send any tests to private labs as needed?

Panel tests are quick. Deciphering them eliminating false positives and checking for things that could be purposely hidden take time. You are confusing something where you know what variable you're looking for (BAC) with a process to find a variable in a wildernss of variables. you do Criminologists and the whole medical profession a huge disservice by your comments.