Suicide, Homicide Ruled Out in Death of Anna Nicole Smith's Son

Sept. 19, 2006 — -- NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) - More than a week after her sonmysteriously died beside her hospital bed, Anna Nicole Smithremained out of sight in the Bahamas on Tuesday as officials saidonly that his death was not a suicide or homicide.

With toxicology tests pending, the official cause may not bepublicly known before a jury inquest starting Oct. 23. The38-year-old former reality TV star, who gave birth to a baby girlthree days before her son's death, is expected to be summoned.

Daniel Smith, 20, died the morning of Sept. 10. By all accounts,he flew into the Bahamas the night before and went directly to theprivate Nassau Doctors Hospital, where staff saw him tending to hismother and newborn half-sister in the hours before his death.

Two autopsies - one by the Bahamas coroner's office, another bycelebrity pathologist Cyril Wecht - have ruled out suicide, foulplay and several potential natural causes. Both have sought furthertests to detect drugs or chemicals.

Wecht, who was hired to perform a follow-up autopsy by AnnaNicole Smith, said Daniel had been taking a "quite low" dosage ofprescription anti-depression medication.

"It is possible we might be dealing with one of those tragicand cumulative and drug-related deaths where somebody inadvertentlytakes two or three different kinds of drugs, each of which has acentral nervous system effect," he said Monday night on CNN's"Larry King Live."

Anna Nicole Smith, a former Playboy model who went to the U.S.Supreme Court in a battle over an inheritance, came to the Bahamasduring her pregnancy to avoid media scrutiny. She has been stayingin seclusion at a guarded waterfront estate.

A funeral home had embalmed the son's remains and was awaitingfurther instructions from the family Tuesday. Maintaining Smith'sprivacy in spite of media attention has required "creative"communication with her, home director Loretta Butler-Turner said.

"To lose someone that you love and then to be bombarded duringthis period is very difficult, I would imagine," she said.