Karen Pletz Death Ruled a Suicide

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The death of former Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences president Karen Pletz has been ruled a suicide, a Florida medical examiner said on Friday.

According to a report in the Kansas City Star, the 64-year-old Pletz died on November 22nd in the Fort Lauderdale-area home of a relative from acute intoxication from a combination of alcohol, anti-anxiety drugs, and narcotic pain relievers, said interim Broward County chief medical examiner Darin Trelka.

Pletz, long a civic leader who had been honored as one of the area’s top businesswomen, was abruptly fired from the school in 2009 following questions about how she handled the school’s finances. In 2010, the school filed a lawsuit against Pletz, alleging that she funneled $2 million of the school’s money for her own private use.

In 2011, a federal grand jury returned a 24-count indictment against Pletz over the alleged misuse of school funds. The charges were formally dismissed following Pletz’s death.