Posted on 12/20/2002 4:40:59 PM PST by Minutemen
Posted on Fri, Dec. 20, 2002 Dr Laura's Mother Apparently Murdered in L.A. BY DAN WHITCOMB Reuters
LOS ANGELES - The badly decomposed body of a murdered woman, identified as the mother of popular radio talk-show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger, has been found at a Beverly Hills home, police said on Friday.
Though police said they had not yet confirmed that the elderly woman found on Monday was Yolanda Schlessinger, the talk-show host issued a statement addressing the death of her mother and alluding to their bitter estrangement.
"I am horrified by the tragic circumstances of my mother's death and so sad to learn that she died as she chose to live -- alone and isolated," Laura Schlessinger said in the statement.
"My mother shut all her family out of her life over the years, though we made several futile attempts to stay connected," she said. "May God rest her soul."
The body believed to be that of Yolanda Schlessinger was found by police after concerned neighbors said they had not seen her in several weeks. An autopsy revealed that she had been murdered, said Beverly Hills Police Lt. Gary Gilmond.
"I cannot confirm that it is in fact (Schlessinger's) mother but we are operating on that assumption," Gilmond said.
Although the body was found in Yolanda Schlessinger's home, it was so badly decomposed that identification was not yet possible, he said. Gilmond said the state of the body and home suggested that the woman had been dead for a "substantial period of time," possibly several months.
Gilmond said coroner's officials were working to positively identify the murder victim.
A spokesman for the Los Angeles County Coroner's office said further tests were required to determine the cause of death and that medical examiners had not yet issued a report.
Schlessinger hosts one of the country's most popular syndicated radio programs, which according to her Web site is heard by 12 million listeners on 315 stations across the U.S.
Schlessinger, who has a doctorate in physiology from Columbia University, dispenses advice to her listeners and is known for her brusque persona and emphasis on personal responsibility.
According to a Vanity Fair profile in 1998 and other press reports, Schlessinger was estranged from her mother, and had not seen her in 14 years. Schlessinger had told People magazine four years earlier that her mother was "filled with negativity."
The former Yolanda Ceccovini was an Italian war bride who was divorced from her husband, Monty, who died in 1990. Their other daughter, Cyndi, was also estranged from Laura, according to Vanity Fair.
Sorry - I misspoke. I should have said "Guess people are off the hook for the first 5 Commandments as long as they observe the last five".
So how is she “off the hook”?
In my opinion, not having the inclination to at least make a phone call to Mom and inquire about her welfare in months qualifies as something other than "honoring" her.
Disclaimer: Your value belief system might be different.
5.) Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
It should be the number one issue, the woman was murdered, hello?
The Cat's in the Cradle my favorite verse:
I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day. I said,
"I'd like to see you, if you don't mind,"
He said,"I'd love to dad, if I could find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and the kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, dad,
It's sure nice talking to you."
And as I hung up the phone it occured to me
He'd grown up just like me, yeah,
My boy was just like me..
Have a nice day :~) sw
Did you know you can "honour" someone/something without ever committing a physical act (such as picking up the phone). Go look at the original hebrew....honour is something you do in your heart and mind.....it requires no outward physical action....can you read Laura's mind and heart......
"Honour" sure has a different meaning where I come from. But, that's just me.
The issue seems to be that the two were estranged, which is easy for me to get past. I don't judge that, it happens all the time in the best of families.
Buh, bye. sw
Perhaps. Her mother wished to be left alone...
It's possible that her mother's lifestyle was such that this isn't necessarily a surprise. My guess is that right now Laura is beating herself up wondering if there wasn't more that she could have done. And the answer to that just might be 'no'. We live in 'free society' and the idea of forcing someone to accept our overtures of company, comfort or love is ridiculous.
For all of you who are casting aspersions her way.... how fortunate you are to have perfect families and perfect relationships with those families. Unfortunately, that is not the norm. For the rest of us who deal with a variety of 'disfunctionality' on a continual basis, it is easier to understand Laura's situation and to empathize.
And for the record, so I won't be accused of being a fan, I find her show to be annoying at best.
Laura Shlessinger (sp?) presumes to give advice to others, sometimes in a hectoring and/or unkind manner, and gets paid very handsomely to do so. I have no argument with that, but she's a public figger, and public figgers had better walk their talk.
Karma is a ***ch.
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