Prominent doctor found dead in Plantation house fire, investigation underway
PLANTATION - Police are investigating after a prominent doctor was found dead inside her residence after a house fire early Thursday morning.
Authorities identified the victim as Dr. Karen Ruthman, a well-known physician with decades of experience in family and emergency medicine.
The fire was reported at the house located in the 12300 block of NW 23 Court just before 4 a.m.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames, which were concentrated on the first floor of the home and believed to have started in the kitchen. The fire spread to the second floor, where Ruthman was sleeping.
Ruthman, 64, was pulled from the home and transported to HCA Florida Westside Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. She was the only person in the house at the time, officials said.
The Plantation Fire Department and police responded to the scene, but the cause of the fire remains unknown.
The State Fire Marshal and Plantation police are leading the investigation.
As of Thursday evening, crime scene tape still cordoned off the property and investigators were seen combing through the charred remains of the home.
Neighbors described Ruthman and her husband, Dr. Barrington Murray, as respected members of the community. Murray, a practicing obstetrician and gynecologist, was not home at the time of the fire.
"They are a very loving couple. They were very happy and very hardworking," said Vivian Dingman, a longtime neighbor. "The smoke was horrendous. Even in our backyard, it was very heavy. The fire department and police were here within minutes and took charge quickly, but it's just devastating."
A couple stood outside the gate of Ruthman's home crying. The woman, identifying herself as a family member, was too distraught to speak.
Another woman said the doctor was basically family to her saying, "She is one of a kind. She was like my sister. We were so close."
Ruthman and Murray had lived in the custom-built home for about 20 years.
Dingman said she woke up just moments after the blaze began, and she is now grappling with the loss of her neighbor and friend.
"It's so sad for the family," she said. "It was the last thing we expected."
Another neighbor, Noel True, who had known the couple for a decade, described Ruthman as "an easygoing person." True had planned to work on a fountain at the home on Thursday but was shocked to hear about the tragedy instead.
Authorities have yet to formally identify the victim and have not yet released additional details about the cause of the blaze.
A spokesman for Plantation police confirmed that a death investigation is ongoing but declined to speculate on the fire's origin.
Attempts to reach Dr. Ruthman's medical office for comment were unsuccessful. The office was reportedly closed on Thursday.
