The "Rebirthing" Death of Candace Newmaker

Candace Newmaker, a 10-year-old adopted girl, died in 2000 after a rebirthing session to help her cope with the trauma of being separated from her biological parents. During the 70-minute session, therapists wrapped her head to toe in flannels to resemble a womb and told her to free herself. The idea was that Candace would be “reborn” by fighting her way out of the wrap.

A total of four people restrained her while she was wrapped up, putting a combined weight of more than 607 pounds atop her body.

Candace screamed, cried, and vomited. Telling the therapist she could not breathe, but could not escape. She begged them to help her escape but they only taunted her. The therapist repeated statements such as “You want to die? Okay, then die.”

When the therapists finally unwrapped the girl, she was cyanotic and was not breathing. They attempted to resuscitate the girl and called paramedics. Candace died the next day. The M.E. listed her cause of death as “asphyxiation.”

Therapists Convicted in Candace’s Death

The session was videotaped and used to convict the therapists of reckless child abuse resulting in death and sentenced them to 16- 28 years in prison. Some of the videotapes has been transcribed. You can read that by clicking here but be forewarned, it is pretty difficult to read.

Controversial Therapy for Reactive Attachment Disorder

Rebirthing therapy is a controversial treatment for reactive attachment disorder developed in the 1970s by Leonard Orr. Candace had been diagnosed with this condition due to failure of normal bonding with her parents as an infant and the time she spent institutionalized before her adoption.

The disorder shares characteristics of posttraumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder. The condition is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) under “other disorders of infancy, childhood, or adolescence.”

The controversial treatment was banned in the state of Colorado one year after Newmaker’s death. Candace’s Law was signed by then-Colorado governor Bill Owens.

Other Unusual Deaths

Jennifer Strange died from a fatal water overdose in 2007. Strange was competing in a competition sponsored by a local radio station to see how much water a person could drink without going to the bathroom. The prize winner received a Wii and she wanted it for her three kids.

She drank several gallons of water during the four-hour contest titled, "Hold Your Pee for a Wii."

Strange told another contestant that she felt “terrible” before leaving the competition. She was not alone. Many contestants dropped out, experiencing health concerns as they consumed the water. The DJs laughed and joked about the medical emergencies the contestants -20 in total experienced.

Strange was found dead in her apartment a few hours after the competition. Strange “overdosed” on water.

Strange’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit after Jennifer’s death. They were awarded $16.5 million in the case. In the lawsuit, Jennifer’s husband, Billy, claimed the radio station was aware of the dangers of drinking so much water months before the contest but proceeded on without warning the contestant who assumed that it was safe and had been thoroughly checked out. The radio station DJs admitted live on air that they knew potential risks were there.

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