In an emotional interview on ABC's "Good Morning America," the father of golfer Erica Blasberg said there was "no issue whatsoever" that she was in a situation where she would harm herself.Mel Blasberg was responding to a question about whether he backed off from earlier statements in which he speculated it might have been suicide.
In a report by the Riverside Press-Enterprise on Monday, Mel Blasberg was quoted as saying, "at first glance it looks like she might have taken her own life, but at second glance, something is very, very strange about it."
Reached by e-mail Thursday, Riverside Press-Enterprise reporter Mirjam Swanson stood by those quotes, telling FanHouse she spoke to Mel Blasberg on Monday afternoon via his cell phone.
On "Good Morning America," Mel Blasberg told host Robin Roberts: "[It's] very difficult to trust anybody in media. That was never said."
"The girl was up. The bags were packed," he continued. "She had a great event in Mexico. She talked right to me on Thursday. Why she didn't go to leave Saturday morning is something that's [being] investigated."
Share Debra Blasberg, Erica's mother, struggled to speak about how she's coping with the heartbreaking loss. "I don't know how I'm going to make it through tomorrow," she said. "I can't explain it. It's indescribable."
"It's hard to put into words. She was just ... I just love her and miss her," Debra Blasberg later said while covering her face to hide her tears.
Blasberg, a 25-year-old playing on the LPGA Tour, was found dead Sunday afternoon at her home in Henderson, Nev. Authorities said they found the body at approximately 3 p.m. after responding to a 911 call, but police have not released the caller's identity. An investigation is ongoing and it could be weeks before it's revealed what led to her death.
"The cause of death will not be released until our detectives and the coroner's office have completed their investigation," Henderson (Nev.) police spokesman Keith Paul told FanHouse's A.J. Perez on Tuesday. "It would be premature to speculate." The results of a toxicology test could take six to eight weeks.
Blasberg was expected to fly to Mobile, Ala., to play in a qualifying tournament Monday in an attempt to make the field for the Bell Micro Classic.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that caddie Missy Pederson, who was supposed to carry Blasberg's bag on Monday, said she received a text message that Blasberg had sent Saturday night to let her know she was not coming to Alabama. According to the report, Pederson sent Blasberg a text message back Sunday morning, saying she hoped everything was OK, but she never received a reply.
Members of the LPGA will now try to play through a tournament while Blasberg's death is still weighing heavily on their minds. "The mood is somber," said Jane Geddes, senior vice president of the LPGA, in an interview with USA Today. "Everyone is shocked, whether you knew her or not."
"We've had players die," Geddes said. "But we don't remember anything like this. There are so many unknowns about this situation."
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