Seriously? OMG! WTF?

 Anna Nicole Smith’s son was on prescription anti-depression medication when he died at the hospital bedside of the former reality TV star, a pathologist who did a second autopsy on the 20-year-old Daniel Smith said Monday. Forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht said Daniel Smith was being treated for depression that began about 4-6 weeks earlier but that he does not know whether the medication played any role in his death, which came three days after his celebrity mother gave birth to a daughter in the Bahamas. Wecht, speaking by phone from the Miami airport a day after conduction the autopsy in the Bahamas, said he’s still awaiting toxicology tests to determine the cause of death. He said that both he and the Bahamian coroner who did the first autopsy said there is no evidence that Daniel Smith died from a "suicidal overdose."

ABC News (story)

It will be interesting to see what this all means

The maroon cloth-covered body of Daniel Wayne Smith, the 20-year-old son of Anna Nicole Smith, is removed from the hearse by employees upon their arrival to Butler’s Funeral Home and Crematorium in Nassau, Bahamas, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2006. Cyril Wecht, the private examiner hired by the family, said a second autopsy on the body of Smith did not produce conclusive evidence for the cause of death. He has requested Smith’s medical records from the United States and ordered further analyses that could take weeks to be completed.

AP 

Looks like we will not know the cause of death for a while.

A pathologist who consulted in the death investigations of Elvis Presley and JonBenet Ramsey said Saturday Anna Nicole Smith had hired him to perform a repeat autopsy on her son. Daniel Wayne Smith, 20, died Sept. 10 in a hospital room where the reality TV star and former Playboy model was recuperating from giving birth three days earlier. Investigators have said they did not find evidence of drugs in the room or obvious signs of a crime. The Bahamas coroner’s office, which labeled the death “suspicious” because the cause was unclear, performed an autopsy Tuesday and ordered further analysis, including a toxicology test to be completed next week. Cyril Wecht, a forensic pathologist from Pittsburgh famous for his expertise on celebrity death investigations, told The Associated Press by phone that he had been hired to examine the remains of Daniel Smith. Wecht, reached in Arizona where he had been attending a professional conference, said he hoped to reach the Bahamas on Saturday night but might not arrive until Sunday. He declined to comment on his role in the Smith case. “There’s nothing to comment on,” he said. “I just have to get there and see what’s happening.” Wecht, 75, is facing trial on charges he used his staff when he was the Allegheny County coroner to do work for his multimillion-dollar private pathology practice. He resigned from office in January. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review said in Saturday that a judge approved Wecht’s trip to the Bahamas but he had to return to Pittsburgh in time for a pretrial conference Monday. Wecht, who holds a law degree in addition to a medical degree, gained celebrity as a critic of the Warren Commission investigation of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. He has worked as a consultant on such cases as Presley’s death and the slaying of Laci Peterson, and often weighs in on big cases in the news as a television commentator. Head coroner Linda Virgill, who granted the family’s request to bring in an independent examiner, said Friday that it was not an unusual step. She confirmed that a pathologist from the U.S. would perform the exam Sunday at a public morgue. A guard on Saturday prevented reporters from approaching the gate outside Smith’s home in the Bahamas, a whitewashed mansion perched at the ocean’s edge. A local attorney for the 38-year-old TV star has declined to comment on why she was seeking a second autopsy. Reginald Ferguson, assistant commissioner of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, said Friday that although there were no obvious signs of criminal wrongdoing in the death, it was too early to draw conclusions. An inquest that could lead to the filing of criminal charges is scheduled to begin Oct. 23. Witnesses including Smith, hospital staff and others who saw her son, were expected to be summoned. Smith, who came to this island chain during her pregnancy to avoid media scrutiny, is free to leave the Bahamas, authorities have said. Daniel Smith was the son of Anna Nicole and Bill Smith, who married in 1985 and divorced two years later. The son had small roles in her movies “Skyscraper” and “To the Limit.” He also appeared several times on the E! reality series “The Anna Nicole Show.”

MSNBC 

This guy knows his crap, so it will be interesting to see what he finds out. 

While ANNA NICOLE SMITH remains secluded at her home in the Bahamas, she is bringing in her own pathologist to perform a second autopsy on Sunday to help determine the cause of the death of her son, DANIEL. "It’s nothing unusual for families to want their own pathologist to confirm or look for something that may have been overlooked," head coroner LINDA VIRGILL told the Associated Press. The local coroner also clarified that terming the death as "suspicious" only meant that the cause was not apparent and did not necessarily imply foul play. The coroner’s office has also confirmed that they are releasing the body to Anna Nicole on Monday. And our own KEVIN FRAZIER is uncovering answers to the tragic mystery and the birth of Anna Nicole’s daughter by going one-on-one with LARRY BIRKHEAD, Anna Nicole’s former boyfriend. While no one has yet seen the baby girl — who is reportedly called HANNAH — Birkhead says he is the father. "I was told that I was the father," he tells Kevin. "Until someone tells me that I’m not, I have to keep searching for my daughter and try to find out what’s going on. I don’t want to fight, but I have to try to protect what I was told was mine." Kevin goes further in-depth with the alleged father of Anna Nicole’s baby girl on Monday’s ET. Meanwhile, police continue to investigate Daniel’s mysterious death. Bahamian authorities held a press conference Thursday afternoon to clarify their current position on the investigation. Although they could not offer specific details due to the nature of the case, officials did say that the cause of death is not known, nor has a death certificate been issued. They are awaiting further tests and the results of a toxicology report. MICHAEL SCOTT, Anna Nicole’s Bahamian attorney, says that his client had actually moved to the Bahamas to have her child in a more peaceful environment, and that Daniel flew in to see his new baby sister Saturday night. Anna’s American attorney and family friend, HOWARD K. STERN, picked Daniel up from the airport and brought him straight to the hospital, where they all spent the rest of the night visiting her. The following morning, Scott says, "Anna Nicole awoke and noticed that her son appeared not to be breathing. Anna Nicole frantically awakened Howard with the alarm that Daniel was not breathing. Howard immediately checked Daniel’s neck for a pulse and the nurses were immediately summoned. According to the Doctors’ Hospital chronology, this occurred at approximately 9:38 a.m. Hospital personnel came immediately to administer emergency aid and assistance. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the medical staff was not able to revive Daniel. Even after Daniel had been pronounced dead, Anna Nicole and Howard frantically continued resuscitation efforts." Scott also revealed Anna Nicole’s traumatic reaction to her son’s passing: "The devastation and grief over Daniel’s sudden death coupled with the sedation has been so extreme that Anna Nicole experienced memory loss of the event." He added that "Anna Nicole was so distraught at the loss of Daniel that she refused to leave his side and it was necessary to sedate her in order to check her out of the hospital. Her memory loss was so severe that she reportedly had to be told a second time that her son had passed away." A formal inquiry into the death, which could potentially lead to criminal charges, has been scheduled for next month.

Entertainment Tonight 

Is it just me or does Larry Birkhead look a lot like Daniel Smith?

A coronor’s inquest into Daniel Smith’s death will be held October 23, and his mother (Anna Nicole Smith) will have to attend the proceedings officials said yesterday. At a press conference held yesterday to clarify the degree of truth in reports circulating in the press, Magistrate Linda Virgill said that the body of Daniel Smith would be released as soon as the toxicology report is in – which might be within the week. "[First there is an] initial autopsy and then you must have a second just to confirm the findings," said Magistrate Virgill. She explained that having an inquest in the case of Daniel Smith’s death is not unusual as sudden deaths are usually classified as suspicious ones. She also explained her earlier statements of the death not being a natural one at the media conference. "By that I meant he did not have any external injuries on his body," said the coroner. She added that the case could be referred to the Supreme Court for criminal charges if the jury determined that their findings on Daniel’s death had some involvement of a criminal nature. Magistrate Virgill admitted to speaking with Anna Nicole Smith recently and announced that Ms Smith will be called as a witness in the proceedings. Anna Nicole Smith’s lawyer, Michael Scott, also confirmed that she was still in The Bahamas. "Yes she is here [and] she is in seclusion with her family and friends as you would expect in the case of any parent who has sustained this kind of loss… " said Mr. Scott. Magistrate Virgill also said that the autopsy result would not be released to the public unless court officials tender the report as one the documents needed for evidence. She added that the results would not be seen "before that time". "The toxicology results won’t be released as it would not be fair to the public…and Anna Nicole Smith," said the Magistrate. She also said that she had full confidence in the medical staff’s competence to secure the room if something had happened of an adverse nature. During the conference Mr. Scott denied knowledge of certain statements made on the Larry King Live show, calling the reports "irresponsible speculation" while Magistrate Virgill recommended to the public that all speculations should be stopped until the commencement of the inquest.

The Nassau Gaurdian 

Wow, something major must have come out in the first toxicology report for the inquest to go forward like that. 

« Previous entries Next entries »