Page 16 of Saltwater

Sarah Lingate’s Body to Be Released to Family

New York Post

February 27, 1993

Working in conjunction with Interpol, the Italian authorities have granted the Lingate family’s seven-month-old request to release the body of playwright Sarah Lingate. The family had been fighting with Italian officials since Richard Lingate was cleared of wrongdoing in his wife’s death in July.

“The Italian police have unnecessarily delayed an important period of grieving and closure for the Lingate family under the false pretense that more evidence might be gathered from Sarah’s body,” attorney Bud Smidge wrote in a letter to Interpol in January. “This continued delay is tantamount to harassment. All members of the Lingate family have been open and forthcoming with police and investigators from the beginning. Their only request is that they be able to mourn Sarah fully.”

Italian police delayed the release of the body after learning from a source that the family planned to cremate her.

“They’re worried that there might be evidence they need down the road in 10, 20, 30 years,” an anonymous source said. “Of course, they can’t keep her indefinitely.”

Despite the fact Italian police declined to bring charges against the family, rumors and conspiracies have circulated about the playwright’s death for months, with multiple reports coming out that Richard hit Sarah on the night of her death and that Sarah had severely injured Richard earlier in the day.

“It was not a happy marriage,” a source close to the couple said. “But we all thought they were working on it.”

When asked about the reports of violence and their reason for withholding the body, Italian police simply cited procedural and judicial delays.

“It’s not so easy,” said a press officer for Interpol. “But yes, we will be releasing her this week. We thank the family for their patience.”