Bela Karolyi (1942-2024)

This morning’s WaPo obit of Bela Karolyi has this line: “The cause and manner of death has not been specified, the AP reported.”

The “manner of death,” is a forensic term for the circumstances of the death, or the way it was inflicted, as opposed to the medical reason. There are five basic manners of death: natural causes, accident, suicide, homicide, and undetermined. For example, the cause of death might be asphyxiation, and the manner of death could range from accident to suicide.

On the witness stand, I have seen forensic pathologists testify even more explicitly, saying something like the "manner of death was suffocation with a pillow placed over the infant's face."

I don't think I've ever seen an obituary note that the “manner of death” was unstated, which suggests suspicious circumstances. But if so, why be so coy? And if not, why raise doubts.