FLA. CORONER: I'M SIMPLY STUMPED
BOMBSHELL DEATH A 'MEDICAL PUZZLE'
By LORENA MONGELLI in Hollywood, Fla., and TODD VENEZIA in New York with Post Wire Services
DEAD HEAT: Coroner Joshua Perper fields questions yesterday about Anna Nicole Smith's death in a Florida hotel suite
February 10, 2007 --
Anna Nicole Smith died of either natural causes, a toxic drug cocktail or some combination of the two, a Florida coroner said yesterday as he struggled to get to the bottom of the tragic Playboy Playmate's sudden death.
Broward County Medical Examiner Joshua Perper called the fight to learn what killed Smith "a medical puzzle" - and said the cause will not be known for at least three to five weeks.
"At this time we don't have the results of the chemical tests, the toxicological tests, and that's why this determination . . . is postponed until the entire pieces of the puzzle" are put together, he said.
Perper said the probe found that Smith, 39, had been suffering from stomach flu in the days before her death. But his autopsy found no trace of pills in her stomach or bloodstream, which would have indicated a possible drug overdose.
Toxicology reports will eventually show if she took any of the prescription drugs found in her room - which CNN identified as Valium and antibiotics in the name of her "husband," Howard K. Stern.
The reports would also show if they reacted in a combination that may have killed her, he said.
No illegal drugs were found in the room, police said, but authorities won't know if narcotics, or booze, played a role in the death until they see the results.
Smith checked into the Seminole hotel Monday with Stern at her side. A day later, she was captured by photographers looking bleary-eyed and doped up.
"She was having a really, really good time. She was downing a lot of drinks at the bar," said one casino employee.
Her attorney, Ron Rale, said she had the flu.
Hours before her death, a housekeeper was called up to the floor and Smith "was very pleasant, joking and laughing. She was being very friendly," said another casino employee.
Smith had been spotted partying hard as far back as two weeks ago at the hotel, where she had to be carried out of a boxing match where, "She was completely wasted," a hotel guest said.
There were signs of inflammation in Smith's heart, which Perper said "looks a little bit unusual," but "may be nothing."
"At this time, we do not make a determination of the cause and the manner of death," Perper said, noting the test results "do not exclude any kind of contribution of medication to the death."
There was nothing on surveillance tapes at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood - where Smith collapsed and later died Thursday - to indicate foul play. "At this point, no evidence has been revealed to suggest that a crime occurred," said Seminole tribal Police Chief Charlie Tiger.
While investigators worked to find the cause of death, the Smith family found no trouble finding a place to lay blame for the reality TV star's demise - on the shoulders of the Svengali-like Stern.
Smith's sister Donna Hogan told Fox News Channel's Shepard Smith she believes Stern is behind the death of Smith's son, Daniel, last September.
The 20-year-old died at a hospital in the Bahamas shortly after his mom gave birth to a daughter, Dannielynn.
"I'm going to make sure that we do everything possible to bring charges against him if we can," Hogan said. "I think Daniel is dead and my sister is dead, and he [Stern] was there both times. I'm going to say yes, I blame him."
Stern is Anna Nicole's attorney, and he was not available for comment yesterday. He claims he is Dannielynn's father, and even went through a non-binding wedding ceremony with her last year. Smith's ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead also claims he is the dad, and he and Stern are battling it out in court.
Also yesterday, another figure claimed he is Dannielynn's father - Prince Frederick von Anhalt, husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor.
"If Howard K. Stern knew that [Smith and her son] had a problem, and obviously he did, then he should have stepped in and did everything in his power to prevent this from happening if he loved them so much," Hogan told Fox News.
Smith's mom, Virgie Arthur, also blamed those close to her daughter for her untimely death. Arthur flew to the Bahamas to reportedly "check her options" in the Dannielynn custody battle.
"I think she had too many drugs, just like [Anna Nicole's son] Danny," she told ABC's "Good Morning America." "I tried to warn her about drugs and the people that she hung around with. She didn't listen.
"She was too drugged up. By the last interview I saw of her, she was so wasted."
Meanwhile, Perper said he found no sign of violent wounds during yesterday's six-hour autopsy.
The probe revealed some blood in her stomach, but he attributed it to her being in shock before she died. She also had minor bruises on her back from a previous fall in the bathroom, he said.
The 1993 Playboy Playmate of the Year had long been dogged by rumors of prescription-drug abuse, especially after her reality TV show, in which her speech was slurred and her eyes looked dazed.