Vote it up! Poenix Police Dept photo

On September 28, Gotbaum was taken into custody after missing her connecting flight on her way to Tucson to enter an Alcohol Rehabilitation Facility and flying "into a rage", according to a news report.

The police handcuffed Gotbaum and left her alone, where she apparently tried to escape and died while doing so.

Gotbaum's husband had contacted the airport on the day she died and had informed them she was medically unstable.

The claim against the city of Phoenix is the first step in filing a wrongful death lawsuit.

Gotbaum was treated "as if she was a dangerous criminal, rather than as a sick, intoxicated and vulnerable person she was," it says. "She had no weapon and never threatened anyone."

Police state that they acted appropriately to the situation, as Gotbaum was resisting arrest and was erratic and screaming.

According to reports, she withheld any medically relevant information about her condition prior to her accidental hanging.

The officers left her cuffed and alone in a room for several minutes, where she continued to scream. She was found "unconscious" shortly after her screaming stopped.

Rescuers could not resuscitate her.

Carol was a mother of three and the step-daughter of New York public advocate, Betty Gotbaum.