2 die, 19 overcome at Arizona retreat sweat lodge

PHOENIX — A sauna-like sweat lodge at an Arizona resort was meant to provide spiritual cleansing for the 64 people crowded inside. On Friday, the resort was a crime scene as investigators tried to piece together how two people died and others became ill after nearly two hours inside the structure covered with tarps and blankets.Many emerged from the crudely constructed sweat lodge Thursday evening light-headed and weak. A middle-aged man and woman were unconscious, according to a 911 call, and a third person was found not breathing.In all, 21 people were transported to hospitals. Two died, and three of five who remained hospitalized Friday were in critical condition.Authorities haven't determined the cause of the deaths and illnesses; tests for carbon monoxide and other contaminants were negative. Yavapai County sheriff's spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn said authorities were checking into whether any of the attendees had pre-existing medical conditions and the possibility that some of them might have been fasting."It's not something you'd normally see at one of the resorts there, and it's unfortunate regardless of the cause," D'Evelyn said.Investigators also were working to determine whether criminal actions might have been a factor in the incident, D'Evelyn said.The Angel Valley Retreat Center sits on 70 acres nestled in a scrub forest just outside Sedona, a resort town 115 miles north of Phoenix that draws many in the New Age spiritual movement.Self-help expert and author James Arthur Ray rented the facility as part of his "Spiritual Warrior" retreat that began Oct. 3 and that promised to "absolutely change your life." The schedule had few details about what participants could expect, other than thrice-daily meals and group gatherings that started at 7 a.m. and ended 16 hours later.The details came in a lengthy release of liability that acknowledges participants may suffer "physical, emotional, financial or other injuries" while hiking or swimming, or during a multi-day personal and spiritual quest in the wil

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