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Misaskim Prevents Autopsy In Manhattan Tragedy


misaskim.jpgA 9-year-old girl found her mother R”L dead in their upper West Side apartment on Thursday morning. According to a report in the NY Daily News, she apparently died when she fell in the bathtub and struck her head.

Shele Covlin A”H, 47, was found in the W. 68th St. condo about 7 a.m., but police sources said the incident may have happened earlier while her daughter was sleeping. Detectives suspect the victim grabbed a handle to lift herself out of the tub, and the handle gave way.

Although the Daily News reported that an autopsy will be taking place later Friday, YWN has learned that after tireless work by the Misaskim organization, an autopsy will B”H not take place.

Levaya details are not yet finalized, but are tentatively scheduled for Sunday.

Boruch Dayan Emmes…

(Dov Gordon – YWN)



11 Responses

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. #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.

  6. 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

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