*Maybe* a juicy murder; ruled accident (for now)
mothra...@hotmail.com
import-export lawyer, famous collector of African-American artifacts,
founder of the Main Line chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black
Women, representative of the World Conference of Women at meetings in
Moscow and Nairobi as well as at Rev. Leon Sullivan's African-American
Summit in West Africa.
On June 21, Ms. Haith was found dead, lying in a small pool of blood, at
the foot of the stairs in her Wallingford (PA) mansion. The initial
investigation focussed on an alleged threat by Ms. Haith's daughter to
kill her mother, only two days before she was found dead.
But in the weeks that followed, the death was ruled an accident.
Anne-Christine Haith, the 25-year-old daughter, has denied any role in
her mother's death. She described her mother as "one of the most
complex and awesome people anyone would get the chance to meet."
The medical examiner says Ms. Haith died from a fractured neck received
in an accidental fall down the stairs.
Anne-Christine said, "It's good to actually have information, to have
them tell us that there was nothing mysterious or foul going on." She
has delayed entering law school due to the stress of her mother's death
and the investigation.
The police searched the Haith house on June 26 based on allegations of a
rocky relationship between mother and daughter. Of the alleged death
threat, Anne-Christine says, " My comment would be, in boldface: all
baseless, false."
Police, however, first found the death "suspicious" and searched the
house based on information that "Mrs. Haith possessed documents and
other writings which possibly detail threats, harassment, threats of
bodily harm, and/or notes of apology for said threats, harassment and
bodily harm."
According to the police affidavit, Ms. Haith called the Nether
Providence police to report that her daughter had threatened to kill her
on June 19. She told a detective that her daughter "started a heated
argument over a party and the daughter said to Mrs. Haith, 'If I don't
have this party, I'll kill you!'"
The daughter's lawyer discounts the allegation.
Three of Ms. Haith's close friends were interviewed by police--Gene
Carmichael, also a cousin, and D. Byrd and P. Anderson--who told police
that Anne-Christine had a contentious relationship with her mother and
showed anger toward her.
Haith's estranged husband, surgeon Linwood Haith Jr., said that "no one
brought up the issue that Mae had been very sick." He said his wife had
suffered a serious stroke 20 years ago and was on nightly oxygen
treatment for a lung ailment.
However, he also acknowledged that he was in the process of divorcing
his wife at the time of her death, and that his wife had accused him in
the divorce action of adultery, which he denies.
Dr. Haith found his wife's body when he went to the house to pick up
their daughter. "My speculation is that she was light-headed, and
because she had other problems, she died."
In 1997, a fire that was ruled arson destroyed the family's $435,000
mansion, which was rebuilt on the same site. No one was ever charged in
the arson.
I suspect the daughter.
Martha