NY Woman Dies in Sweat Lodge at Arizona Resort
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October 11, 2009
Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y. died Thursday evening during a spiritual cleansing ceremony at a scenic Arizona resort. Authorities identified 40-year-old James Shore of Milwaukee as the second victim who died. 19 other people were taken to area hospitals, suffering from burns, dehydration, respiratory arrest, kidney failure or elevated body temperature.
The incident happened at the Angel Valley Retreat Center, owned by Michael and Amayra Hamilton, outside of Sedona, Arizona. The Hamiltons rented it to self-help expert and author James Arthur Ray for a "Spiritual Warrior" retreat that promised to "absolutely change your life." People aged 30 to 60’s paid between $9,000 and $10,000 to participate in the five-day retreat. This was Ray’s seventh annual event at Angel Valley Retreat Center; there have never been any problems, according to Amayra Hamilton.
Using tarps and blankets, Ray and his staff built a temporary sweat lodge, which is a ceremonial sauna and important ritual used by Native American cultures. 64 retreat participants fasted for 36 hours, ate a breakfast buffet on Thursday morning, attended various seminars and then entered the sweat lodge around 3 p.m.
Shore and Brown were removed from the lodge two hours later without a pulse and not breathing. 911 was called and a nurse employed by Ray for the retreat directed rescue efforts and administered CPR until emergency crews arrived. Other lodge participants were also in medical distress by that time.
Joseph Bruchac, author of "The Native American Sweat Lodge: History and Legends," expressed concerns regarding the materials used to construct the sweat lodge and the number of people inside.
Detectives were focusing on self-help expert and author James Arthur Ray and his staff as they try to determine if criminal negligence played a role, according to Yavapai County Sheriff Steve Waugh on Saturday. He also said Ray refused to speak with authorities and has since left the state. Sheriff's Lt. David Rhodes said authorities were checking whether there was a lag time between the first signs of medical distress and the emergency call.
Brown, who grew up in Brooklyn and Westtown, was a graduate of the State University of New York. A family spokesperson said was an avid surfer and hiker who was "in top shape," took self-improvement seriously and had a passion for art.
The passing of a loved one is always a difficult time for family manners, but it can be even more difficult when the loved one was killed due to the negligence of another person or entity. This is known as wrongful death. If this has happened to a loved one, the decedent's immediate family members may file an action for wrongful death. If someone else's negligence has contributed to a loved one's death, contact Napoli Bern Ripka LLP at 888-529-4669 to discuss what you can do to recover for the loss.