Dania Beach, Fla. – Prescription drugs were found in Anna Nicole Smith’s hotel room, but there were no pills in her stomach, and investigators said Friday that they are awaiting tests that could tell whether the former centerfold died of an overdose, as some close to her suspect.
At the same time, a judge in Los Angeles ordered that her body be preserved for at least 10 days for a possible DNA test related to a paternity dispute. The ruling could interfere with plans for a funeral.
Dr. Joshua Perper, the Broward County medical examiner who did the autopsy, said no illegal drugs were discovered in Smith’s room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood after the 39-year-old Smith collapsed there Thursday.
CNN quoted an unidentified law enforcement source as saying there were large amounts of prescription drugs, including Valium and antibiotics, as well as cold and flu medication.
Perper said there were no pills in Smith’s stomach and no other immediate signs of an overdose, but officials “do not exclude any kind of contribution of medication to the death.”
He said it would take three to five weeks to conclude the investigation.
In a strange twist in the case, a third man – the husband of 90-year-old actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, 59-year-old Prince Frederick von Anhalt – claimed Friday that he may be the father of Smith’s baby. The paternity decision could affect the child’s inheritance.
At her death, Smith was waging a long court battle over the estate of her late husband, J. Howard Marshall II, who died in 1995 at age 90. A federal court in California awarded Smith $474 million, which was overturned.
In recent TV appearances, Smith’s speech was often slurred and critics said she seemed drugged-out.
Michael Scott, a former attorney for Smith in the Bahamas, said he suspects drugs “featured in her death.”
And Smith’s mother said Friday that she believes her daughter died of an overdose. Smith’s 20-year-old son, Daniel, died in September of what was believed to be an accidental drug overdose, around the time Smith gave birth to her daughter, Dannielynn.
