An accidental drug overdose caused last month’s sudden death of former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith, Florida officials said on Monday.
The death of the flamboyant billionaire’s widow at a Florida casino-hotel on February 8 triggered a media frenzy and bitter legal feud over her remains and the custody of her 6-month-old daughter, Dannielynn, who could one day inherit millions.
”We are convinced, based on an extensive view of the evidence, that this case is an accidental overdose with no other criminal elements present,” said Seminole Police Chief Charlie Tiger.
There was no evidence of illegal drugs in her body, said Broward County Medical Examiner Joshua Perper, who gave a detailed account of the events leading up to her death that included her temperature at various times and the medication she took.
Smith was buried in the Bahamas on March 2 after a colourful funeral whose guests included her longtime companion and lawyer Howard K Stern, who is listed as Dannielynn’s father, and Los Angeles photographer Larry Birkhead, who also claims paternity.
Several other men also claimed to be the father of Dannielynn. The results of a DNA swab of the child have been placed under seal by a judge in the Bahamas, pending an appeal against the DNA test by Stern. — Reuters