Character mistake: Tommy Brown (Johnny Cash) broke his left leg. Throughout the show, he uses his crutch and then his cane on the left side. It should be on the right (opposite) side.
Murder with Too Many Notes - S10-E13
Visible crew/equipment: When Columbo accompanies Sidney Ritter downstairs to see the elevator that goes to the roof, they are alone, but as Ritter says, "I can't think what use this could be to you," the abdomen (with hand in pocket) of a crew member, wearing a blue shirt and brown pants, is visible at the right side of the screen. (01:07:10)
Continuity mistake: When Columbo is talking with a cadet, Columbo says that he was in the army. Later, when the Colonel mentions 2200 hours, Columbo asks him what time that is. If Columbo had been in the army, he certainly would have known that 2200 hours is 10:00 PM.
Answer: "Apparent" drowning answers your question - things are not always as they seem. Drowning could be accidental, but it could also be a murder in disguise. Moreover, the actual cause of death has not yet been determined - accident, suicide, murder, or natural cause (e.g, heart attack while swimming). Columbo would be there to investigate if anything looks unusual for it to be a mere drowning or if there is evidence or suspicion of something else.
KeyZOid
This was just on TMZ.com's "Aaron Carter Dead at 34" (11/05/2022): "Law enforcement sources tell TMZ... homicide detectives have been dispatched to the scene but we have no information or evidence of foul play. It's standard operating procedure for homicide detectives to investigate such [drowning] death scenes."
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