Exactly a month after the sudden death of Daniel Smith, the questions–and the involved parties–continue to be, quite literally, all over the map.
Over the weekend, Anna Nicole Smith and Howard K. Stern remained in the Bahamas, where they have been since her son’s passing; nearly 50 friends and family, including Daniel’s father, Billy Smith, gathered in Mexia, Texas, to hold a memorial service for the late 20-year-old; and four Bahamian police officers were in California, continuing their probe into the death.
The four officers returned to the island Monday, but not before interviewing Daniel’s doctor and several other unidentified people to learn as much as possible about the days leading up to his Sept. 10 death in a Nassau hospital room.
“They interviewed a few different people–doctors–and tried to determine drugs and prescriptions and who may or may not have issued them,” Reginald Ferguson, assistant commissioner of the Royal Bahamas Police, told People.
“All of those things have to be looked into because at the end of the day, when we send this file to the coroner, it will be expected that all these questions have got to be answered by the investigation.”
Ferguson declined to state how much time the four officers–Chief Superintendent Marvin Dames, Assistant Superintendent Anthony Ferguson, Sgt. Frederick Taylor and Inspector Cleophus Cooper–spent in California or who, other than Daniel’s doctor, they questioned.
Ferguson said that they sent officers to the States because Daniel died just eight hours after arriving in the Bahamas, leading police to believe whatever factors lead to his death took hold prior to his entering the island.
Dr. Cyril Wecht, a private pathologist hired by the TrimSpa spokesmodel to determine the cause of her son’s death, released his toxicology findings last month, claiming Daniel’s death was caused by a lethal combination of methadone and the antidepressants Lexapro and Zoloft.
According to the Associated Press, Daniel possessed a prescription for the Lexapro, but his family reportedly did not know from whom or how he had gotten the other drugs.
“They want to make inquiries relevant to the case, speaking to physicians and whomever else,” Ferguson told the AP. “You’re looking for anything you can find that can be evaluated as part of the evidence.”
Police also expressed interest in speaking with fellow passengers on Daniel’s flights from California to Florida and from Miami to Nassau, though it’s unclear whether they were able to.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force is expected to complete its investigation by next week, at which point it will send a report of its findings to authorities who will determine whether a full inquest is necessary.
While the officers have yet to complete the preliminary investigation, Ferguson told People that it does not appear that any foul play was involved in the tragic death.
“Nothing that our investigators have found indicates any sort of criminality.”
Daniel’s body is currently being held in a Nassau funeral home, awaiting burial.
By Gina Serpe, E online
www.eonline.com
