Former lacrosse case detective commits suicide, reports say

Sgt. Mark Gottlieb, one of the head investigators of the 2006 Duke lacrosse case, committed suicide this weekend, WRAL News has reported.

Gottlieb left the Durham police force in 2008 and relocated to Georgia, where he worked as a paramedic until his death Saturday.

As the supervisor of the 2006 investigation of the Duke men's lacrosse team, he was criticized for his handling of the case and named as a defendant in several civil lawsuits that followed.

After exotic dancer Crystal Mangum accused three lacrosse players of beating and raping her at a party in March 2006, Gottlieb was placed on the case. In April 2007, the case was dismissed due to insufficient evidence and the accused players were declared innocent.

Following the dismissal of the case, Gottlieb was investigated by the Durham Police Department for his involvement in an allegedly illegal photo lineup procedure that contributed to the indictments of the three lacrosse players. He was reassigned to a different position in the department shortly thereafter and retired from the department the following year.

His funeral will be held Friday in Raleigh, according to WRAL.