Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Community Mourns Lieberstein Family's Loss

Government, religious leaders express condolences on death of Adam Lieberstein, son of Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein and his wife, Patti.

UPDATE: 2 p.m. Monday, April 1, 2013.

The death of Adam Ubanik Lieberstein, 31, son of Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein and his wife Patti, is "a tragedy for everyone in Napa," said Rabbi Lee Bycel of Congregation Beth Sholom in Napa.

Adam Lieberstein's parents and his grandmother, Audrey Lieberstein, are all members of the congregation, Bycel said. He said he was with them on Sunday to offer support.

Find out what's happening in Napa Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Adam's family during this time of profound sadness and loss," Bycel said Monday.

"As a community, we mourn with them and we hope that our support and love will be a source of some comfort during this time of tragedy," he added. "May Adam rest in peace."

Find out what's happening in Napa Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Napa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Brad Wagenknecht expressed similar thoughts.

“On behalf of my fellow supervisors and the staff here at Napa County, I want to express our deepest condolences to District Attorney Gary Lieberstein and his family on their loss," Wagenknecht said. "Our hearts are heavy today and we will do best, as colleagues and friends, to support them through this time.”

Adam Lieberstein was identified over the weekend as the man found burning March 26 on a Highway 29 pedestrian overpass.

UPDATE: 1 p.m. Monday, April 1, 2013.

Napa police have "strong indicators" that the burning death of Adam Urbanik Lieberstein, son of Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein and his wife Patti, was a suicide, according to Napa County Sheriff's Capt. Tracey Stuart.

"It's still under investigation, and it hasn't yet been determined if it was due to criminal activity or a suicide -- but there are strong indicators that it was a suicide," Stuart said

She declined to say what the indicators were, other than to confirm that there was no suicide note found.

Although the Liebersteins told Stuart that they were not aware of any upset on the part of their son, Stuart said that was not unusual in such cases.

"Suicides, if they're serious, don't let their friends and family know that they're thinking about it," she said.

An autopsy Friday did not find any evidence of trauma to the body other than the effects of the fire.

The body was found burning on a Highway 29 pedestrian overpass south of Trancas at about 4 a.m. on March 26.

ORIGINAL STORY: 10:37 a.m., Monday April 1, 2013.

Adam Urbanik Lieberstein, the son of Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein and his wife, Patti, was the man who burned to death on a Highway 29 pedestrian overpass last week, according to a statement this morning from Napa County Sheriff Capt. Tracey Stuart.

Stuart said the Liebersteins contacted the Napa County Sheriff's Office on Saturday, March 30, five days after the unidentified burning man was discovered on Tuesday, March 26.

An autopsy on Friday, March 29, had failed to reveal the man's identity and the Napa County Coroner's Office had been expected to send DNA samples to the state crime lab to determine an ID.

The cause of death is still pending toxicology reports, but the autopsy did not reveal any signs of criminal trauma other than the effects of the fire, police said Friday.

On Saturday, the Liebersteins "contacted the office about the possibility that the deceased man might be their son, who they had not been able to contact since Monday evening," Stuart said.

"Dental records were obtained and (they) were a match to the deceased man from the fire," Stuart said.

Gary Lieberstein and his wife Patti said there was no indication of a problem, Stuart said.       

Adam Lieberstein lived in Napa but not with his parents, Stuart said.

"The Napa County Sheriff’s Office wishes to express our deepest condolences to the Lieberstein family," Stuart said.

--Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

Napa Patch is now Napa Valley Patch! Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for the daily email with links to the latest news | Got something to say? Start a blog and share your views with the valley.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.