Sweat Lodge Death Update

This undated photo provided by the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office shows unidentified people outside a sweat lodge where three people died after an Oct. 8, 2009 ceremony near Sedona

FLAGSTAFF (AP) — Authorities had hoped to turn over their investigation of the fatal sweat lodge ceremony in northern Arizona to prosecutors last month, but continue to ponder what, if any, charges the self-help guru who led dozens into the makeshift structure might face.

The Yavapai County sheriff’s office said investigators determined quickly after the Oct. 8 sauna-like ceremony that the deaths of three people weren’t accidental, and focused a homicide investigation on California self-help guru James Arthur Ray.

Authorities have been tightlipped, though, about whether any charges are forthcoming. They’ve declined to comment outside of news conferences and fought the release of documents in late December that showed a pattern of medical problems at Ray-led events that Ray largely ignored.

Any charges could bolster lawsuits filed against Ray after the deaths that accuse him of negligence and fraud, among other things.

The sweat lodge ceremony has been the culmination of Ray’s “Spiritual Warrior” retreats for years. About halfway through the two-hour ceremony, authorities said, some participants began to show signs of weakness, vomiting and collapsing inside the 415 square-foot makeshift structure, but the 911 call wasn’t made until about an hour later.

Ray’s representatives say he and the staff on site took all necessary safety precautions and acted immediately when participants became seriously ill, administering CPR, dousing people in water, aiding paramedics and providing drinking water.

Ray has hired his own investigative team to determine what went wrong.

“These precautions had been more than sufficient to care for sweat lodge participants in the past and exceed the care available in traditional lodges,” said a statement issued by Ray’s Carlsbad, Calif.-based company, James Ray International. “No one had any reason to think that more was required.”

Authorities are looking into the construction of the sweat lodge, the time it took for Ray and his staff to summon emergency medical care and Ray’s past events in which others were injured.

Kristina Bivins, who was among the sweat lodge participants, said many people have built a life around Ray’s teachings and would “absolutely” continue in his steps regardless of the outcome of the investigation. “If he holds an event at a community center or in a tent, we’ll be there,” said the 42-year-old San Francisco resident. “We just want to learn from James.”

Melinda Martin, the former event coordinator for James Ray International who lost her job after the “Spiritual Warrior” event, said participants had every reason to trust Ray but now should think twice. “If you can get with somebody who is thorough enough and their ego isn’t so big that they can’t have medical support standing by, that’s a big thing to look at,” she said.

Two people — Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee — died shortly after the sweat lodge ceremony at a hospital. Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn., slipped into a coma and died a week later. The families of all three have been sent victims’ rights letters, an indication of possible criminal charges. Eighteen others were hospitalized.

“We’re just looking forward to coming to a conclusion both civilly and criminally,” said Lou Diesel, an attorney for Neuman’s family. “We want to get to the bottom of why these people were killed.”