The lab analysis found a residue that indicated the drug came from pills and not its liquid form.
As well as that concentration in the blood, there was still around 22mg of methadone in Daniel’s stomach that had not yet been absorbed by his system when he died. That in itself would have been “enough to kill him”.
Hern said he would have consumed at least two 10mg tablets but “it would not surprise me” if it had been four times that amount.
The amount was so large he could have passed out in as little as 10 minutes and died within two hours. “It’s not common for people in recreational use to take large quantities all at once,” Hern explained.
“In my study of drug abuse patients people don’t take such a quantity of pills to get high.
“They take one or two and if the effects are not there they may take more.”
He also indicated there were no “signs of tolerance” in Daniel’s system to indicate he was a habitual user.
Based on his 21 years of experience in the field, Dr Hern said it was his opinion it was an “intentional ingestion.”
But he said in order to suggest it amounted to suicide, Daniel’s case would require “self destructive statements or suicidal thoughts heard by people that were close to him.”
He added there is “certainly” the possibility that “one might not know what they were taking”.
Dr Hern said the methadone tablet is “water soluble” and although such a high quantity would taste bitter in a liquid “this could have been camouflaged”.
Speaking outside court, the attorney representing Anna Nicole’s mother Virgie Arthur, said Daniel did not express any thoughts of self-harm. “So what we are left with is homicide,” he said.
http://www.showbizspy.com/2008/01/30/anna-nicole-smiths-son-died-of-a-massive-methadone-overdose/
[credit for this link goes to a TMZ poster - thanks! poster :) great find! ]
NOTE: from previous information, we know that Daniel asked Howie baby why he was ‘so tired?”; from previous information we know that Daniel and his mother were OUT of the ROOM for a period of time prior to 5:30 am - a time when HKS would have been unobserved, and a time when Howie baby claims to have been ‘asleep’.
However, Howie would have to had been awake to hear Daniel’s declaration of ‘so tired?” - a statement that comes directly from Howie baby himself.
It would be logical to assume Howie was awake and the claim of ‘why so tired’ was made sometime after, but close to 5:30 am, which, iirc, was about the time the baby was removed to the nursery over Daniel’s protests. We have heard timeframes now of between 10 minutes and half-hour before Daniel would have succumbed to a fatal sleep, which further narrows the time when Daniel's statement to Howie could have been made. IMO JMO MOO
Thanks for that article...It says Howard and Sheeley were moving Daniel’s clothes and the pills fell out and Howard flushed them. It appears the flushing was AFTER the nurse had dicovered the two pills in Howard’s hospital bed....because otherwise, why would the pills be a problem...as Howard said. I’ll bet they could have been batch matched to the ones found in the bed.
fresh from TMZ:
http://www.tmz.com/2008/01/30/birkhead-now-larry-stuffedhead/
exerpt:
“...he didn’t travel to the Bahamas for the Daniel Smith inquest because he was hospitalized with a temp of 106. Birkhead says he’s been in the hospital twice with a severe case of the flu and was too sick to travel. Ditto Dannielynn, who has an ear infection.”
flu-like symptoms and 106 temps? where have we heard this before? um. let me guess.....? (looking around for signs of KE)
Exactly - the alleged statement (which I don’t believe happened, BTW) *had to have* taken place when HKS claimed to be asleep.
I still go with my very first impression, that OD’ing Daniel was something HKS planned as yet another “publicity stunt” to get attention and/or sympathy for Anna Nicole - who had claimed to everyone who would listen that “nobody cared” or “was excited” about her pregnancy.
The OD backfired when Daniel passed away - which may not have been counted on happening, being in a hospital and all.
Now, in hindsight, with Anna dying not long after that and Howard claiming “ownership” of Dannielynn, it does appear he was systematically removing obstacles in the line of heirs to the mythical Marshall money which he (ha ha) believes to be real. Or pretends to believe to be real. Whichever.
I suppose the good doctor gave no opinion as to what else was in Daniel's stomach - hamburger, fries, strawberry shake, etc. Like Daniel decided to eat and then kill himself?