INDEPTH: TERRI SCHIAVO
Gov. Bush's letter
CBC News Online | June 17, 2005
On Friday, June 17, 2005, Florida governor Jeb Bush asked the State Attorney to look into new evidence that came to light in the Medical Examiner's Report after an autopsy was performed on Terri Schiavo.
Bush said the fact that a significant amount of time elapsed from when Schiavo collapsed in 1990 to the time her husband placed a call to 911 warrants further investigation.
Pinellas-Pasco County State Attorney Bernie McCabe has agreed to look into the matter.
The following is the text of Jeb Bush's letter.
June 17, 2005
The Honorable Bernie McCabe
State Attorney for the 6th Judicial Circuit
P.O. Box 5028
Clearwater, Florida 33758
Dear Mr. McCabe,
Wednesday the Chief Medical Examiner for Pinellas County issued his report on the autopsy of Terri Schiavo. While the report clarifies many questions surrounding the case, it leaves some unanswered.
Of particular interest are the report ' s findings as to the cause of Mrs. Schiavo ' s original injuries. The report indicates that there was little evidence of an eating disorder, previously the lead theory of the cause of her injuries. The report also indicates that blood tests conducted on Mrs. Schiavo in 1990 upon her collapse were routine and would not necessarily have detected or ruled out many types of drugs or toxins. The report rules out any overt or blunt trauma, but could not rule out or positively identify other causes. As a result, the cause of her injuries is more in doubt than ever.
Also of interest is the gap in time between Mr. Schiavo ' s discovery of Mrs. Schiavo ' s collapse and the 911 call he made to request assistance. According to Mr. Schiavo ' s testimony in the medical malpractice trial in 1992, he discovered Mrs. Schiavo had collapsed at about 5:00 a.m. According to his comments in a 2003 television interview, he found her at about 4:30 a.m. According to the Chief Medical Examiner ' s report, Mr. Schiavo placed the 911 call at approximately 5:40 a.m. Between 40 and 70 minutes elapsed before the call was made, and I am aware of no explanation for the delay.
In light of this new information, I urge you to take a fresh look at this case without any preconceptions as to the outcome. I understand that these events took place many years ago, and that you may not be able to collect all the relevant records and physical evidence. However, Mrs. Schiavo ' s family deserves to know anything that can be done to determine the cause and circumstances of her collapse 15 years ago has been done. The unanswered questions may be unanswerable, but the attempt should be made.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
Jeb Bush
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