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Nov 9, 2009 6:07 pm US/Central
Sweat Lodge Probe Includes Hundreds Of Interviews
PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) ―
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James Arthur Ray had rented the Angel Valley Retreat Center for his five-day "Spiritual Warrior" event that culminated in the sweat lodge ceremony. Participants paid between $9,000 and $10,000 to attend the retreat.
CBS
An investigation into the deaths of three people who were overcome at a sweat lodge ceremony in Arizona is expected to be forwarded to prosecutors next month.
Until then, Yavapai County Sheriff Steve Waugh says his office will have no further comment.
Authorities are treating the deaths as homicides and say self-help guru James Arthur Ray is the primary focus of their probe. Others also are being investigated.
Ray led the sweat lodge ceremony on Oct. 8 as part of his five-day "Spiritual Warrior" retreat near Sedona. Ray says he's hired his own investigative team to determine what went wrong.
Waugh says investigators are working diligently on hundreds of interviews with people who were involved in the retreat or any of Ray's past events.
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One of those who died was 49-year-old Liz Neuman of Prior Lake, Minn. Neuman was heavily involved in the Unity Valley Spiritual Center, which is not affiliated with the James Arthur Ray organization.
"[She was] the warmest, kindest, compassionate person you could know. Just smiling, upbeat, energetic, happy, alive," said Roxanne Jenks, who knew Neuman through the Center.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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