Charges Possible in Death of Smith's Son
Authorities are leaving open the possibility that criminal charges will be filed in the death of the 20-year-old son of Anna Nicole Smith, the Bahamas coroner said Wednesday.
Her Majesty's Coroner Linda P. Virgill told The Associated Press that authorities believe they know what killed Daniel Wayne Smith, but are awaiting a toxicology report to confirm the findings.
"We do know the cause of death," Virgill said. "But we need to confirm it with a toxicology report."
She declined to disclose details but said there was no sign of physical injury to Smith, who died while visiting his mother, a reality TV star and former Playboy playmate, in a hospital three days after she gave birth to a baby girl.
Deepening the mystery, Virgill said there was at least one other person in the room when Smith died. She refused to elaborate.
"I can confirm that there was definitely a third person in the room at the time of death and I do know who that person is," she said. "But I am unwilling to reveal that information at this time for various reasons."
A formal inquiry may be launched, in which case officials will not publicly disclose their findings until after it is completed, Virgill said in an interview.
Meanwhile, police were reconstructing Smith's steps since his arrival Saturday in the Bahamas, said Reginald Ferguson, the assistant commissioner of the Royal Bahamian Police Force.
Ferguson told the AP that no drug paraphernalia or traces of illegal drugs were found on Daniel Smith, in the hospital room or near the room.
"We haven't found any illegal drugs or anything of that nature in the course of this investigation," he said.
Police believe Smith went directly to Doctors Hospital in Nassau, where his mother was, after flying in to the Bahamas, Ferguson 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."
Anna Nicole Smith married Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II in 1994, when she was 26 and he was 89. He died the following year.
She then feuded with Marshall's son, Pierce Marshall, over her entitlement to the tycoon's estate before he died in June at age 67.
Smith won a $474 million judgment, which was cut to about $89 million, and eventually reduced to zero. In May, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Smith could continue to pursue her claim in federal courts in California, despite a Texas state court ruling that Marshall's youngest son was the sole heir.
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