Jan 11, 2007 11:10 am US/Eastern
Decision Expected On Smith's Son Inquest
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) ―
-
-
Daniel Smith died at his mother's hospital bedside in Nassau on Sept. 10, three days after she gave birth to a daughter. (File)
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
The Bahamas' top prosecutor says a decision will be made soon on whether an inquest is needed into the death of Anna Nicole Smith's son, who died under mysterious circumstances in Nassau.
The results of a police investigation into the death of Daniel Smith, 20, will be given to Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez by the end of the week, Director of Public Prosecutions Bernard Turner told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Gomez or another magistrate will decide whether an inquest is necessary.
Calls placed to Anna Nicole Smith's attorney in the Bahamas went unanswered Wednesday, and Gomez's cell phone was turned off.
Daniel Smith died at his mother's hospital bedside in Nassau on Sept. 10, three days after she gave birth to a daughter. The 39-year-old former Playboy Playmate has said she was seeking privacy when she came to the island chain in July.
A private pathologist concluded that Daniel Smith died from a lethal combination of methadone and two antidepressants. Official toxicology results have not been publicly released.
Bahamian police completed an investigation into his death, which they submitted to the attorney general's office in October. The office is responsible for reviewing the findings, but do not make recommendations on inquests.
Turner said the investigation had not taken "unusually long."
"Every matter has to be investigated based on the peculiarities of that case. You have to keep in mind that although he died in the Bahamas, he had only arrived here a few hours earlier, so this ended up not being an entirely local matter," Turner said.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Slideshow: Anna Nicole Smith's Odd Life So Far
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments