With questions and confusion lingering around the death last week of Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam, her family has begun to push back on reports that the 65-year-old died of an apparent suicide.



“Despite the ongoing investigation, some media outlets and others have conjectured that Sheila was the victim of a 'probable suicide.' These reports have frequently included unsubstantiated comments concerning my wife’s possible mental and emotional state of mind at the time of her death,” her husband, Reverend Gregory A. Jacobs, said in a statement published online.

“Those of us who loved Sheila and knew her well do not believe that these unfounded conclusions have any basis in reality. And in the absence of any conclusive evidence, we believe such speculations to be unwarranted and irresponsible,” the statement says.

Last Wednesday, Judge Abdus-Salaam’s body was found floating in the Hudson River by the shore of Manhattan's West 132nd Street, just a few blocks from her Harlem home.

Reports of the death of Abdus-Salaam, the first female black judge to sit on the New York Court of Appeals — the state’s highest court — sent shockwaves through a New York legal community that revered her. In the days following, many of her grief stricken former colleagues, classmates, and friends expressed a deep admiration and respect for her.