Did anyone watch the HBO documentary 'There's something wrong with Aunt Diane'?

[dianfossey]

I watched this last week, and like all of you, I have been disturbed by it ever since.

In my mind the documentary has raised more questions than it answers. The whole thing makes no sense but one thing that raised a red flag with me was she had access to Ambien. But they never seemed to address that at all in the investigation and interviews. I found that odd since the whole show was to try to explain "What Happened?" that made this woman snap.

The reason it stood out to me is because I learned (quite by accident) that when you take Ambien you need to go bed immediately. I didn't do anything as tragic as this but I ate several meals (yes, several meals) without being conscious of it. I woke up out of what I can best describe as kind of a trance and was like, "OMG, WTH, What just happened?" It was about an hour later and very scary to say the least.

I see some have followed this very closely. Was this ever discussed and/or ruled out as a possible explanation?

As far as the families and the law suits flying around - It is just so sad. I'm speechless. Some of the interviews were bizarre. Not just the families, but her friends. I thought one of the "friends" came off as petty, in a Real Housewives sort of way. Except for the one best friend none of the others had seen her in years. It's like everyone's trying to make a buck off this. Very weird and sad.

 

[mefordis]

I think once they found the equivalent of 10 drinks in her system, as well as the pot, they found plenty of reason why she would drive like she did. That alone would cause it. Not really any need to go searching for more.

The question in my mind is WHY she consumed the drinks and pot while the kids were under her care. Go home - it takes 60-90 minutes to get there, and then get blotto all you want!

I watched this last week, and like all of you, I have been disturbed by it ever since.

In my mind the documentary has raised more questions than it answers. The whole thing makes no sense but one thing that raised a red flag with me was she had access to Ambien. But they never seemed to address that at all in the investigation and interviews. I found that odd since the whole show was to try to explain "What Happened?" that made this woman snap.

The reason it stood out to me is because I learned (quite by accident) that when you take Ambien you need to go bed immediately. I didn't do anything as tragic as this but I ate several meals (yes, several meals) without being conscious of it. I woke up out of what I can best describe as kind of a trance and was like, "OMG, WTH, What just happened?" It was about an hour later and very scary to say the least.

I see some have followed this very closely. Was this ever discussed and/or ruled out as a possible explanation?

As far as the families and the law suits flying around - It is just so sad. I'm speechless. Some of the interviews were bizarre. Not just the families, but her friends. I thought one of the "friends" came off as petty, in a Real Housewives sort of way. Except for the one best friend none of the others had seen her in years. It's like everyone's trying to make a buck off this. Very weird and sad.

 

[akhenaten]

watched it last night..... i don't know... i just get really bad vibes from the husband. i really feel sorry for the little boy... dad does not seem too caring/loving...

and the aunt who was so concerned about the boy seeing what strangers have said about mom on the internet.... then is stupid enough to announce in a documentary that daniel never wanted children... like the boy will never hear that!!! i ended up being more upset by the father than diane at the end of the documentary...

 

[JerseyJanice]

I watched this last week, and like all of you, I have been disturbed by it ever since.

In my mind the documentary has raised more questions than it answers. The whole thing makes no sense but one thing that raised a red flag with me was she had access to Ambien. But they never seemed to address that at all in the investigation and interviews. I found that odd since the whole show was to try to explain "What Happened?" that made this woman snap.

The reason it stood out to me is because I learned (quite by accident) that when you take Ambien you need to go bed immediately. I didn't do anything as tragic as this but I ate several meals (yes, several meals) without being conscious of it. I woke up out of what I can best describe as kind of a trance and was like, "OMG, WTH, What just happened?" It was about an hour later and very scary to say the least.

I see some have followed this very closely. Was this ever discussed and/or ruled out as a possible explanation?

As far as the families and the law suits flying around - It is just so sad. I'm speechless. Some of the interviews were bizarre. Not just the families, but her friends. I thought one of the "friends" came off as petty, in a Real Housewives sort of way. Except for the one best friend none of the others had seen her in years. It's like everyone's trying to make a buck off this. Very weird and sad.

In the documentary, Dr. Werner Spitz (who we just saw testify in the Casey Anthony trial) reviews the autopsy and toxicology reports and states that both were done thoroughly and correctly. If Ambien didn't come up in the tox screen, I would guess she probably didn't use it the night before the accident.

I think Mrs. Schuler worked herself into such a drunken frenzy, she didn't know what she was doing. She probably forgot that her and her brother's children were with her in the vehicle, and obviously, she wasn't thinking about any strangers she'd crash into. Her family may know what got her worked up in the first place, but they will never tell. Between all the lawsuits and their deep denial, they'll never admit the truth. Look at the sister-in-law in the doc--vodka for pina coladas? Really? Aren't pina coladas usually made with rum?

Something that bothered me the second time I saw the film--they play the 911 tape from a call that her brother's friend made that day. He couldn't give the 911 operator the license plate number of the van because the brother's wife was too distraught to remember it.

Now please understand something--I can't imagine being in this woman's shoes, losing all three of her children in one swoop. So I hate to criticize her, but I'll tell you this much--if I were so frantic about my son being driven by somebody who was having a "medical emergency" that I couldn't remember my car's license plate, I'd rip my house apart trying to find it. Surely it's printed on a document somewhere in the house, like on their insurance policy, for example.

This has me wondering if she was really that panicked or if they had reason to believe that Aunt Diane would get in big, legal trouble if they reported the plate number to the police.

BTW, upthread, people are asking about the ride taking 4 hours, when it should have been 35 minutes. The "35 minutes" refers to the amount of time it would take to get from the campground to the Tappan Zee Bridge. It would take another 90 minutes or so to get from the TZ Bridge to Long Island.

 

[mefordis]

I am with you. I sort of think that the brother and sis in law were protecting her. They probably didn't think anything would happen. I'm sure they deeply regret not calling the police to put out an APB for the car as soon as they found out she wasn't in her right mind and driving.

In the documentary, Dr. Werner Spitz (who we just saw testify in the Casey Anthony trial) reviews the autopsy and toxicology reports and states that both were done thoroughly and correctly. If Ambien didn't come up in the tox screen, I would guess she probably didn't use it the night before the accident.

I think Mrs. Schuler worked herself into such a drunken frenzy, she didn't know what she was doing. She probably forgot that her and her brother's children were with her in the vehicle, and obviously, she wasn't thinking about any strangers she'd crash into. Her family may know what got her worked up in the first place, but they will never tell. Between all the lawsuits and their deep denial, they'll never admit the truth. Look at the sister-in-law in the doc--vodka for pina coladas? Really? Aren't pina coladas usually made with rum?

Something that bothered me the second time I saw the film--they play the 911 tape from a call that her brother's friend made that day. He couldn't give the 911 operator the license plate number of the van because the brother's wife was too distraught to remember it.

Now please understand something--I can't imagine being in this woman's shoes, losing all three of her children in one swoop. So I hate to criticize her, but I'll tell you this much--if I were so frantic about my son being driven by somebody who was having a "medical emergency" that I couldn't remember my car's license plate, I'd rip my house apart trying to find it. Surely it's printed on a document somewhere in the house, like on their insurance policy, for example.

This has me wondering if she was really that panicked or if they had reason to believe that Aunt Diane would get in big, legal trouble if they reported the plate number to the police.

BTW, upthread, people are asking about the ride taking 4 hours, when it should have been 35 minutes. The "35 minutes" refers to the amount of time it would take to get from the campground to the Tappan Zee Bridge. It would take another 90 minutes or so to get from the TZ Bridge to Long Island.

 

[surfergirl602]

No Danny admitted in the 'doc' that they brought it with them and that sometimes when they are sitting around the camp fire they will have a drink. He said Diane did all the packing that morning and Danny said he loaded everything in the van BUT he was confused at how that bottle got in the car that morning.

Do you all think that Diane has done something like this before....maybe not as much alcohol but she has done this drinking and was then able to drive?

Interesting I thought as the 'doc' showed the 'Absolute' bottle all burned up in the van.

Wasn't Diane driving the van? If everything was packed in the van, then she had it readily available.

I agree with that youtube video. I think she'd had a few drinks the night before, had a hangover - mixed a drink to try and feel better, and blacked out. She left her cell phone on the bridge. I totally believe she thought she was driving somewhere else. She also drove around in circles at one point, like she had no idea where she was going. I think that the family members just don't want to admit that she drank and smoked pot because it would tarnish her superwoman image.

 

[shortbun]

I just watched this. I think all of those people in Diane's family and her friends who were suprised might be lying. There was a bottle in the car and pot in her system. He alcohol level was near that of overdose. She was clearly practiced at drinking and smoking pot or she never could have made it as far as she did. That kind of intoxication takes practice, imho, and I've known some very clever addicts but if you live with them, you know.

 

[No.17CherryTreeLane]

Wasn't Diane driving the van? If everything was packed in the van, then she had it readily available.

I agree with that youtube video. I think she'd had a few drinks the night before, had a hangover - mixed a drink to try and feel better, and blacked out. She left her cell phone on the bridge. I totally believe she thought she was driving somewhere else. She also drove around in circles at one point, like she had no idea where she was going. I think that the family members just don't want to admit that she drank and smoked pot because it would tarnish her superwoman image.

I agree. All of her choices during the first hours of that day point to a woman who was fighting a nasty hangover.

Diane was compulsive about time... never late, always early.
She faced the possibility of heavy traffic and knew the Hance girls were expected home at 1:00. Yet Diane did not leave the campground until 2 1/2 hours after she awoke. She then drove 15 minutes, stopped & lingered at McDonald's for nearly an hour. These are not the actions of a highly organized, focused woman who is a stickler for time. IMO, she was hungover, feeling sick, and waiting for the waves of nausea to subside.

She unfortunately did not have the luxury of just "waiting it out". She had to stay on schedule and would never admit to being hungover or ill, so she pushed onward, convinced she could tame the hangover with other remedies.

-McDonald's Coffee
-McDonald's OJ as hair of the dog mixer w\Vodka
-Gas Station OTC Painkillers ( Advil, Extra Strength Tylenol are well-known hangover remedies)
-Marijuana for nausea
-Vomiting, dry heaving when necessary

The Vodka & Marijuana made her Blood Alcohol level rise very quickly (probably still elevated from the night before) and she was out-of-control drunk by the time she crossed the Tappan Zee.

 

[surfergirl602]

I agree. All of her choices during the first hours of that day point to a woman who was fighting a nasty hangover.

Diane was compulsive about time... never late, always early.
She faced the possibility of heavy traffic and knew the Hance girls were expected home at 1:00. Yet Diane did not leave the campground until 2 1/2 hours after she awoke. She then drove 15 minutes, stopped & lingered at McDonald's for nearly an hour. These are not the actions of a highly organized, focused woman who is a stickler for time. IMO, she was hungover, feeling sick, and waiting for the waves of nausea to subside.

She unfortunately did not have the luxury of just "waiting it out". She had to stay on schedule and would never admit to being hungover or ill, so she pushed onward, convinced she could tame the hangover with other remedies.

-McDonald's Coffee
-McDonald's OJ as hair of the dog mixer w\Vodka
-Gas Station OTC Painkillers ( Advil, Extra Strength Tylenol are well-known hangover remedies)
-Marijuana for nausea
-Vomiting, dry heaving when necessary

The Vodka & Marijuana made her Blood Alcohol level rise very quickly (probably still elevated from the night before) and she was out-of-control drunk by the time she crossed the Tappan Zee.

AND on TOP of all that, she still had alcohol that hadn't processed yet! Can you imagine what she would have been like that after? She still had some in her stomach and intestines.

It was known that she smoked pot before bed to help her sleep. She had it on her. She knew that it helped her feel better, so I believe she stopped on the bridge to smoke it in hopes it would help her feel better. it just helped the alcohol level in her blood to skyrocket.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

I found it very interesting that the husband and SIL were reaching so far/grasping at straws to find some other explanation to this rather than just the simple face that she drank the booze willingly and killed 8 ppl of her own accord. They were even trying to say maybe her tooth abscess (if she even had one) was so bad it caused her to have a small stroke and it confused her so she started drinking the vodka thinking it was water. That's how they want to explain the HUGE amount of booze in her bloodstream and still 6 shots worth in her stomach undigested. (If you are packing a van full of bags from camping and you PACK AWAY a bottle of booze, you don't pack it away up in the front seat area where she obviously had it)

You can go from stone cold sober to alcohol poisoning in 30 short minutes but you have to be really knocking it back to have that happen. It seems she probably was drinking the booze like it was water but I doubt she was under the impression it was water she was drinking.

As for the Ambien, I use to take Ambien. It can and does cause you to do things while you are sleeping/sleep walking that you sometimes don't remember at all or that you may remember bits and pieces of the next day. But once you wake up it doesn't affect you. It's gone. I actually called it my Ambien amnesia and ended up getting my doc to switch me to Lunesta (with no side effects thank god)

I just thought it was odd that he never even knew she was on the Ambien. When the SIL pointed to the Ambien on the prescription list and asked him if he knew about any sleep problems she had he said NO.

 

[sbtrfly74]

Just have to say .19 is no where near alcohol poisoning or an overdose as some ppl have suggested. It is drunk plain and simple. Now if she had gone on another hour and processed the rest of what she had in her it would have been around a .25ish which would have been a very drunken stupor and blacking out falling asleep unable to arouse easily. The worst I've seen in the hospital is a .30 to .35 which is officially close to overdose and death and this person just was seriously drunk. They were a chronic alcoholic and also had liver failure, and a much higher tolerance than most ppl would ever be able to keep up with drinking.

Depending on how much she typically drank and on a daily basis would change her tolerance. I still think she was beyond drunk and had no clue what she was doing at that point.

 

[richmond282]

I agree. All of her choices during the first hours of that day point to a woman who was fighting a nasty hangover.

Diane was compulsive about time... never late, always early.
She faced the possibility of heavy traffic and knew the Hance girls were expected home at 1:00. Yet Diane did not leave the campground until 2 1/2 hours after she awoke. She then drove 15 minutes, stopped & lingered at McDonald's for nearly an hour. These are not the actions of a highly organized, focused woman who is a stickler for time. IMO, she was hungover, feeling sick, and waiting for the waves of nausea to subside.

She unfortunately did not have the luxury of just "waiting it out". She had to stay on schedule and would never admit to being hungover or ill, so she pushed onward, convinced she could tame the hangover with other remedies.

-McDonald's Coffee
-McDonald's OJ as hair of the dog mixer w\Vodka
-Gas Station OTC Painkillers ( Advil, Extra Strength Tylenol are well-known hangover remedies)
-Marijuana for nausea
-Vomiting, dry heaving when necessary

The Vodka & Marijuana made her Blood Alcohol level rise very quickly (probably still elevated from the night before) and she was out-of-control drunk by the time she crossed the Tappan Zee.

I agree with all of this.

My question is where did her DH go? I mean he was at the campground too. Did he go home? He probably knew Diane had a serious hangover and still let all those kids get in the van with her.

 

[dodukes]

I agree with all of this.

My question is where did her DH go? I mean he was at the campground too. Did he go home? He probably knew Diane had a serious hangover and still let all those kids get in the van with her.

I havent seen the documentary but I have kept up with this thread. I also wanted to point out that I dont know how other people do it, but usually if I'm with friends driving that long from somewhere and in this case it was her husband, we usually "follow" each other, or at the least say we'll meet for (breakfast, lunch, dinner ,snakck) whatever it might be at lets say mcdonalds. I just find it odd that they took off in the same direction and kinda to their own things.

 

[No.17CherryTreeLane]

I agree with all of this.

My question is where did her DH go? I mean he was at the campground too. Did he go home? He probably knew Diane had a serious hangover and still let all those kids get in the van with her.

I read that he & Diane left the campground the same time but he could not follow her on the parkway because his truck had commercial plates. IMO this sounds strange -- does that mean he traveled over 100 miles on back roads and side streets? Seems like that would take a very long time - I wonder what time he arrived home? I wonder what route he took to the campground. Ugh, so many unanswered questions.

Daniel's own lawyer said that Diane's trip took much longer than it should have. By some accounts it should have taken her less than 2 hours to arrive home. Why was Daniel not crazy worried and calling her after 2, 3, 4, hours?

 

[JerseyJanice]

Diane's husband drove their dog in their pick-up truck. They left the campground together, and he supposedly stopped somewhere to go fishing. There is a lot of time that's unaccounted for between when Diane was filmed in the gas station and when her niece Emma called her parents at the Tappan Zee Bridge.

I think I mentioned it up thread--shortly after the toxicology reports were released, the family of the victims in the other car called for Mr. Schuler to take a drug test. They were really ticked at his insistence that his wife never drank and rarely smoked. They believed that he and Diane often partied hard together and had done so that weekend. Mr. Schuler did not take any drug test; he and his lawyer said that his own sobriety (or lack of) was irrelevant to Diane's accident.

 

[Polyluvr]

I read that he & Diane left the campground the same time but he could not follow her on the parkway because his truck had commercial plates. IMO this sounds strange -- does that mean he traveled over 100 miles on back roads and side streets? Seems like that would take a very long time - I wonder what time he arrived home? I wonder what route he took to the campground. Ugh, so many unanswered questions.

Daniel's own lawyer said that Diane's trip took much longer than it should have. By some accounts it should have taken her less than 2 hours to arrive home. Why was Daniel not crazy worried and calling her after 2, 3, 4, hours?

I watched this on HBO on demand the other day after reading this thread .

It is true that on the parkways/causeways of downstate NY/Long Island the commercial plates/trucks aren't allowed.

What a sad , horrible tragedy for everyone involved

 

[JessicaR]

I read that he & Diane left the campground the same time but he could not follow her on the parkway because his truck had commercial plates. IMO this sounds strange -- does that mean he traveled over 100 miles on back roads and side streets? Seems like that would take a very long time - I wonder what time he arrived home? I wonder what route he took to the campground. Ugh, so many unanswered questions.

Daniel's own lawyer said that Diane's trip took much longer than it should have. By some accounts it should have taken her less than 2 hours to arrive home. Why was Daniel not crazy worried and calling her after 2, 3, 4, hours?

I just watched it last night. So many things bother me about Daniel Schuler that didn't prior to watching that documentary. He seems so put out. His relationship with his son is heartbreaking to watch. w/o his sister in law I doubt anything would get done.

My husband said - why didn't they drive home together. Me with 5 small children 2 hours from home and him leaving the same place, you bet he would have been following me.

There are alternate routes that can be taken easily for vehicles that cant take the parkways. They do not add time usually to your trip either. Is it certain he had commercial plates?

Exactly - why the heck wasn't he making calls when she didn't contact him or arrive home in a reasonable amount of time!

I really hating hearing that he never wanted kids and it was Dianes role to take care of that not his. If he is so put out raising his child perhaps he should see if his BIL and SIL Warren and Jackie would like to - I bet they would love to have him!

I find him to be a HUGE jerk for lack of better words that I cant say on The Dis!

Also if he went fishing on the way home it sure was convenient to eliminate that info from the documentary.

 

[johnsontrio]

I have been thinking about this film all week...

The one thing I keep reflecting on is the amount of secrecy with all parties involved. PP's have pointed out how the SIL is commenting that her family doesn't know she smokes and how that environment of secrecy could have easily involved Diane hiding her usage of alcohol and drugs from her family. The one thing that bothers me that has not been commented on is the interview with her only and best friend. The old friends from her single days clearly aren't aware of what ended their relationship with Diane or aren't saying, but the neighbor lady (Diane's closest friend) commented something along the lines that she knew what was up with Diane's relationship with her mother, but wasn't going to share. Since the breakdown of this relationship is the conjectured motivation for Diane to be SuperMom it does seem to have bearing on her emotional state. Why the need for secrecy at this point? You would think the best friend would want to provide any exculpatory information that she could.

 

[No.17CherryTreeLane]

I just watched it last night. So many things bother me about Daniel Schuler that didn't prior to watching that documentary. He seems so put out. His relationship with his son is heartbreaking to watch. w/o his sister in law I doubt anything would get done.

My husband said - why didn't they drive home together. Me with 5 small children 2 hours from home and him leaving the same place, you bet he would have been following me.

There are alternate routes that can be taken easily for vehicles that cant take the parkways. They do not add time usually to your trip either. Is it certain he had commercial plates?

Exactly - why the heck wasn't he making calls when she didn't contact him or arrive home in a reasonable amount of time!

I really hating hearing that he never wanted kids and it was Dianes role to take care of that not his. If he is so put out raising his child perhaps he should see if his BIL and SIL Warren and Jackie would like to - I bet they would love to have him!

I find him to be a HUGE jerk for lack of better words that I cant say on The Dis!

Also if he went fishing on the way home it sure was convenient to eliminate that info from the documentary.

I looked at Google maps and I see there are many other routes he could have taken. Thanks for clearing that up. I'm used to Arizona, where most of our alternatives routes lead directly to nowhere, lol.

But I still want to know if & why he has commercial plates and what time he arrived home. Why on earth didn't he follow his wife??

 

[SLK1]

I agree. All of her choices during the first hours of that day point to a woman who was fighting a nasty hangover.

Diane was compulsive about time... never late, always early.
She faced the possibility of heavy traffic and knew the Hance girls were expected home at 1:00. Yet Diane did not leave the campground until 2 1/2 hours after she awoke. She then drove 15 minutes, stopped & lingered at McDonald's for nearly an hour. These are not the actions of a highly organized, focused woman who is a stickler for time. IMO, she was hungover, feeling sick, and waiting for the waves of nausea to subside.

She unfortunately did not have the luxury of just "waiting it out". She had to stay on schedule and would never admit to being hungover or ill, so she pushed onward, convinced she could tame the hangover with other remedies.

-McDonald's Coffee
-McDonald's OJ as hair of the dog mixer w\Vodka
-Gas Station OTC Painkillers ( Advil, Extra Strength Tylenol are well-known hangover remedies)
-Marijuana for nausea
-Vomiting, dry heaving when necessary

The Vodka & Marijuana made her Blood Alcohol level rise very quickly (probably still elevated from the night before) and she was out-of-control drunk by the time she crossed the Tappan Zee.

This all makes a lot of sense. Did they ever ask Danny if they had partied the night before? I don't remember that in the film. That would explain a LOT...if they had been drinking/smoking the night before and he admitted it, pretty much it's all solved! She had too much in her system, didn't appear drunk to the lady at the campground because she was used to "hiding" it, then tried to get rid of a bad hangover and it all went terribly wrong.

Is Danny really in denial? Or just desperately trying to get over his own guilt?