Electric Neck Massager Strangles Florida Woman

A Florida woman's death apparently was caused when an electric neck massager became ensnared on her necklace and strangled her, sheriff's investigators said on Wednesday.

The woman, 37-year-old medical doctor Michelle Ferrari-Gegerson, had been wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve and used the massager to relieve neck pain, Broward County Sheriff's investigators said.

Her husband found her lying unconscious on the bedroom floor in their home in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Parkland and called paramedics, who pronounced her dead.

Paramedics found the neck massager on the floor next to the woman. Investigators believe the massager got tangled on her necklace and tightened it around her neck, causing her to lose consciousness and stop breathing.

Her death is believed to be accidental, but homicide investigators are withholding details about the massaging device until the investigation is complete, a sheriff's spokesman said.