Anna Nicole Smith, whose intricate life of sex, glamour and money left behind a legal snarl, died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, Florida officials said Monday.
At a televised news conference, Broward County Medical Examiner Joshua Perper and Seminole Police Chief Charlie Tiger released their findings that Smith died from taking too much of as many as nine medications, principally chloral hydrate used to induce sleep.
“This case is an accidental overdose with no other criminal elements present,” Tiger said.
“There was no evidence of illegal drugs,” he said, outlining an investigation that included interviews with Smith’s entourage and numerous others, the examination of security videotapes and the contents on two laptop computers.
“We found nothing to indicate any foul play,” Tiger said.
Smith and her last companion, Howard K. Stern, arrived at a Hollywood, Fla., hotel Feb. 5 and expected to leave in several days after Stern completed arrangements to buy a yacht. Stern has testified that Smith appeared to be suffering from stomach flu when she died Feb. 8.
At the news conference, Perper explained that Smith had a very high fever when she arrived in Florida. She refused to go to a hospital but was given antibiotics. When her fever, which reached 105 degrees, finally broke, she was given sedatives, he said.
Contributing to her death by overdose were the effects of flu and of a bacterial infection from injecting medications in her buttocks, he said.
“We did not find any fact which could raise credible suspicion of homicide,” Perper said.
He said he ruled out suicide, even though Smith was despondent over the death of her 20-year-old son in September and was taking medications to deal with anxiety and depression.
