San Francisco News Blog

UPDATE: Dan Kliman's body was released to his family at 3 p.m. on Thursday according to Tom McDonald, an inspector in the medical examiner's office. McDonald added that the investigation over the cause of Kliman's death is ongoing. The autopsy was completed on Thursday and McDonald said it would be "several weeks" before results are ready.

By Joe Eskenazi

Yesterday morning, Matt Krimsky, the San Francisco Police Inspector investigating the mysterious death of Dr. Dan Kliman at the bottom of an elevator shaft, told me  "There is no evidence of foul play whatsoever. Underscore that, bold it and  print it with an exclamation point."

Fair enough: "There is no evidence of foul play whatsoever!"

Krimsky also actually raised his voice when noting that "This was not a homicide."

So, naturally, a task force of hate crime and homicide inspectors was formed only hours later to investigate a case Krimsky told us involved "forensic evidence" that Kliman forced his way out of a stuck elevator last week at 55 New Montgomery Street before somehow falling down the shaft. When I called Krimsky back this morning he brusquely declined an interview noting that he was "under orders" that all media quries in this case now go through the SFPD's Public Information Officer.

I think we can ascertain that one of two things has taken place:

1. After all he told me yesterday having spent hours analyzing the elevator and the shaft with crime scene technicians, Krimsky suddenly happened upon some startling new discovery that indicated this was a murder.

2. Wary of its horrific image in the wake of a terrible clearance rate for homicides and the buffoonish handling of the Hugues De La Plaza "suicide" worthy of a third-world, banana republic guns-but-no-shoes security force, the SFPD was affected by the loud -- some would say histrionic -- allegations that Kliman was dispatched by scheming anti-Zionists he had confronted during Bay Area rallies.

We'll see. One thing's for certain though: Now people are watching.