AP Features, February 9th, 2007
Prescription drugs were found in Anna Nicole Smith's hotel room, but there were no pills in her stomach, and investigators said Friday they are awaiting toxicological tests that would tell whether the former centerfold died of a drug overdose, as some of those close to her suspect.
Dr. Joshua Perper, the Broward County medical examiner, said no illegal drugs were found in her room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, but he would not identify the prescription drugs.
There was no immediate indication of a drug overdose, Perper said, but officials "do not exclude any kind of contribution of medication to the death."
He called the process a "medical puzzle" and said it would take three to five weeks to conclude the investigation.
The autopsy was able to exclude any types of physical injury on the body of the 39-year-old former Playboy playmate and reality TV star, Perper said.
It revealed only "subtle findings" in the heart and gastrointestinal tract, and blood in her stomach from being in shock before she died, Perper said. Minor bruises on her back were from a previous fall in the bathroom, he said.
Seminole Police Chief Charlie Tiger said nothing unusual was observed on hotel surveillance tapes, and there was no evidence to suggest a crime occurred.
On Thursday, authorities said, a private nurse found Smith unconscious in her room and called 911. A bodyguard performed CPR, Tiger said, but Smith was declared dead at a hospital. She was 39.
