Anna Nicole's Cause of Death: Accidental Overdose

Anna Nicole Smith died of an accidental drugs overdose.
Broward County, Florida, medical examiner Joshua Perper and Charlie Tiger, the Seminole Police Chief, delivered the verdict of the Playboy model's autopsy at a press conference in Florida on Monday (26.03.07).

The coroner in Florida, where the former stripper was found unresponsive at a luxury hotel on February 8, ruled out murder or suicide, even though there was evidence that she had been depressed reports TimesOnline.

Anna Nicole died aged just 39 after being found unconscious in a Florida hotel room on February 8.
Her death came just five months after her 20-year-old son Daniel suddenly died under suspicious circumstances in the Bahamas.
The ruling ended weeks of speculation over the role of her lawyer and boyfriend, Howard Stern, who is one of several men who claim to be the father of her newborn daughter, Dannielynn. The child has been dubbed the “billion-dollar baby� because she stands to inherit a fortune from Ms Smith’s late husband, the Texas oilman J. Howard Marshall II.

Charlie Tiger, the local police chief, said the investigation of Ms Smith’s death was now closed. “We are convinced, based on a thorough review of the evidence, that this has been an accidental overdose with no other criminal element present,� he said.

Perper concluded that Anna Nicole died of “combined drug intoxication� after taking a concoction of the sleeping medication chloral hydrate and at least eight other prescription drugs, including methadone and Valium, used to treat depression, pain and anxiety.

According to US Magazine, the drugs found in Smith's system included:

· Trichloroethanol (a sedative and hypnotic)

· Trichloroacetic acid (treatment of warts, including genital warts)

· Diphenhydramine hydrochloride (an antihistimine and sedative)

· Clonazepam (aka Klonopin; used for treating anxiety)

· Diazepam (muscle relaxant, used for treating anxiety, insomnia)

· Nordiazapam (sedative)

· Temazepam (a sedative and hypnotic)

· Oxazepam (a muscle relaxant and sedative)

· Lorazapam (anti-nausea, sedative, muscle relaxant)

Several days leaving up to her death on February 8, Smith began experiencing chills, vomiting, and her temperature rose to 105 degrees, Dr. Perper said at the press conference Monday. On the morning she passed away, she reported feeling weak, needed help getting to the bathroom, and was found unresponsive and unconscious hours later.

Perper's initial autopsy ruled out "any kind of physical injuries, such as blunt-forced trauma, gunshot wound, stab wounds or asphyxia" as a cause of death, but added he "saw something that looked a little bit unusual" in Anna Nicole’s heart.
He also revealed that prescription drugs, but no illegal drugs were found in her hotel room.
Last month, he was forced to postpone his verdict after police provided him with additional evidence, which has now been revealed to be two computers belonging to Anna Nicole and her lover and lawyer Howard K. Stern.
An inquest into Daniel's death is scheduled to start on Tuesday (27.03.07) in the Bahamas.

A statement from lawyers for Howard K. Stern, claim Anna Nicole Smith refused emergency care in the days before her death because "she did not want the media frenzy that follows her."

Both Stern and Smith's physician implored her to seek emergency treatment, but Smith refused to go to the hospital because she wanted to avoid media," attorney Lilly Ann Sanchez said in a news release, the AP reports. "Anna called the shots in Anna's life and everyone close to her knows that."