Nevada State Controller Kathy Augustine dies

Nevada's State Controller Kathy Augustine has died after suffering a massive heart attack. Augustine died Tuesday afternoon surrounded by her family at a hospital in Reno.

Augustine, who was 50, had been on a respirator, in critical condition since her heart attack on Saturday. Her husband, Chaz Higgs, found her and administered CPR.

Higgs says his wife had no signs or symptoms of heart problems, but says the stress of running for State Treasurer and maintaining a busy schedule took a toll on his wife.

Augustine was the only state constitutional officer to be impeached while in office.

The Nevada Assembly voted in August 2004 to impeach Augustine for using state staff for her 2002 re-election bid. The state Senate convicted her and censured her on one violation. She was acquitted of using a state computer and staff to help her campaign.

In September 2004, she was fined $15,000 by the state Ethics Commission after admitting to three willful violations of state ethics law. Augustine had been making $500-a-month payments until last November, when she paid off the balance.

Governor Kenny Guinn will appoint a new controller to fill the remaining six months of Augustine's term.

He released a statement late Tuesday afternoon saying he is saddened by the distressing news of someone so young and vibrant who passed away so unexpectedly.

Body exhumed in Nevada death probe

By KEN RITTER
Associated Press Writer

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- The body of the second husband of slain Nevada state Controller Kathy Augustine was exhumed Tuesday so investigators can seek evidence that would show if he also died as a result of foul play.

About 25 police and coroner's officials watched as a backhoe lifted a pale blue casket from the grave of Charles Augustine.

Clark County Coroner Michael Murphy took the rare step of retrieving the body to perform an autopsy after Chaz Higgs was arrested and charged with using a paralyzing drug to kill Kathy Augustine.

Charles Augustine died three years ago at age 63. His death certificate listed complications from a stroke.

Murphy said a detailed analysis of Charles Augustine's tissue samples could take weeks or months.

Higgs, now 42, was Kathy Augustine's third husband. He is a nurse who cared for Charles Augustine at a Las Vegas hospital, then married Kathy Augustine three weeks after her husband's death.

Kathy Augustine, 50, died July 11 at a Reno hospital. Tests revealed traces of a powerful muscle relaxant, succinylcholine, in her system. The drug, which paralyzes respiratory muscles, is used by medical personnel to allow the insertion of breathing tubes while patients remain conscious.

At the time of her death, Kathy Augustine was campaigning for state treasurer. She had been impeached by the Nevada Assembly, convicted by the Senate for using state equipment on her 2002 campaign and censured, but she had not been removed from office.

Higgs was arrested Sept. 29 in Hampton, Va., where he waived extradition and is awaiting transfer to Nevada to face a first-degree murder charge. His lawyer, Alan Baum of Woodland Hills, Calif., said authorities planned to transport Higgs on Wednesday to Reno, where his arraignment was set for Friday.

Although succinylcholine is difficult to detect, Clark County District Attorney David Roger has said authorities believe it can be found if it was injected into muscle tissue. It would be more difficult to find if it was administered intravenously.

Charles Augustine's son, Greg Augustine, 36, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., said in a telephone interview Monday that the exhumation was crucial to answer lingering questions about whether Higgs played a role in his father's death.

"It's necessary," he said. "It has to happen."

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.