Anna
Nicole Smith's Body Ordered Kept For DNA Tests
found at playfuls.com
February 14, 2007
A Florida judge ruled Wednesday that the body of Anne Nicole
Smith remain at a medical examiner's office so DNA tests can be conducted to
determine the father of her daughter, media reports said.
The sudden death of the 39-year-old former model last week raised the stakes in
a custody battle over her baby daughter, Dannielynn, who inherits Smith's claim
to half the fortune of her late oil tycoon husband, J Howard Marshall, worth
some 1.6 billion dollars. The legal claim was languishing in the courts when
Smith died.
The judge ruled that the body must be preserved pending DNA tests, but can be
embalmed for future burial, E-online reported.
Smith's unexplained death occurred just five months after giving birth to
Dannielynn and the death two days later of her son Daniel, 20, who died from a
lethal mixture of antidepressants and methadone as he was visiting his mother in
hospital.
The baby girl is currently in the custody of Smith's lawyer Howard K Stern, whom
she regarded as the father and as her husband even though they were not legally
married.
Smith's former boyfriend, entertainment photojournalist Larry Birkhead filed a
lawsuit to challenge the paternity, leading to Wednesday's decision. Zsa Zsa
Gabor's husband Prince Frederic von Anhalt and a former body guard have also
claimed paternity. And a report in the New York Daily News said the father could
also be the late-Marshall, as her half-sister claims Smith had had the sperm of
her late husband frozen.
The ruling follows a decision by a California judge on Friday, refusing to order
an emergency DNA test on Smith's body at the request of Birkhead, but he ordered
that the body be preserved until a hearing February 20.
A Florida medical examiner performed an autopsy on Smith's body Friday. He found
no traces of illegal or prescription drugs, but said that it would take between
three and five weeks to establish conclusive results.
© 2007 DPA
Anna Nicole Smith left everything to her children
Howard K. Stern - the attorney, partner, and possible father of the daughter of Anna Nicole Smith - went on TV last night to reveal the details of Smith's will and announced that the Playboy Playmate and TrimSpa model left everything to her children. According to Stern, Anna Nicole Smith drew up the will about six years ago and hadn't changed it since, so everything was still set to go to Daniel Smith, who died last September. Daniel passed away from a combination of drugs in the room that Anna Nicole was recovering from giving birth to his sister Dannielynn, who will now get everything.
"Everything went to her son Daniel. Now, because Daniel's gone and Dannielynn is an only child, everything goes to Dannielynn. Everything."
Stern added, as reported by ITV News, "I am named as the executor in that will, and I was also appointed or named as Daniel's guardian in that will. And again, that was way back in 2001."
The brother of Howard K. Stern, the man who has not only had to grieve the loss of Anna Nicole Smith but has been at the center of a very heated paternity battle, spoke out this morning, speaking to The Today Show for the first time. Gary Stern told Meredith Vieira, "My brother loves Dannielynn. I know my brother and Anna Nicole had an intimate relationship. I believe in my heart of hearts that Howards is the father of Dannielynn."
Gary Stern spoke to The Today Show live via satellite from Los Angeles - "Dannielynn is really what remains of Anna Nicole, as far as my brother is concerned. My brother cared deeply for Anna Nicole and he is now devoting his life to Dannielynn and her well-being."
In the days since Anna Nicole Smith died on February 8th at a South Florida hotel and casino, several possible fathers have come forward as possible papas of Dannielynn. It could be Howard K. Stern, Larry Birkhead, Prince Frederic von Anhalt, J. Howard Marshall, or possibly even someone else.
Howard K. Stern has been front and center with Dannielynn since the death and Gary Stern told Today that his brother is down in the Bahamas dealing with what he says is the theft of items from the mansion that the family was living in. It's unclear whether or not the mansion was directly robbed - a housekeeper was reportedly interviews - or if the initial owner of the mansion, a man who once dated Anna Nicole Smith, was merely reclaiming what he thinks belonged to him. After Smith died, the locks were changed at the mansion, but Howard K. Stern took the property back.
The family of Anna Nicole Smith believes that Howard K. Stern has ulterior motives and has made it clear that they think Larry Birkhead, not Stern, is the father of Dannielynn. Smith's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, made it clear that she thinks Larry is the daddy not Howard. According to MSNBC, Birkhead is trying to get a Florida medical examiner to turn over a DNA sample from Smith to make sure that when Dannielynn is tested, they're actually testing the right baby.
Gary Stern was asked about the rumors around his brother when Vieira said, "So the portrait that has been painted of him of a controlling figure, almost Svengali-like? Not true?"
"Absolutely not true. I really think that is disrespectful to Anna Nicole. Anna Nicole was a strong woman, a very capable woman, an independent woman. Anna Nicole controlled Anna Nicole. Anna Nicole made her own decisions. My brother was truly devoted. He was a loyal friend. He was a loyal companion. But he in no way controlled Anna Nicole."
On Tuesday, Virgie Arthur won an injunction against Howard K. Stern, which forces the attorney and possible father to keep Dannielynn in the Bahamas. The Daily News broke that story on Wednesday morning. Arthur says that she fears for the safety of her granddaughter. She also reaffirmed who she thinks is the father, telling the Daily News, "I'd like to see the baby. I'd like to see Larry have the child."
In the final bit of Anna Nicole Smith update, a good friend of the model told Star Pulse that she thinks rumors that Anna killed herself or even tried are ridiculous. Jackie Hatten said, "She was about to get a yacht. She's always wanted to have a yacht. Why would she go and kill herself when she's going down to buy a yacht? It doesn't make any sense... I rule out suicide completely."
Hatten was concerned as to why Anna Nicole Smith was taken from the Bahamas to Florida instead of staying home with her new baby girl, "Why take her away...? If you're a true friend, you would leave her with her baby. Howard took her to Florida to buy a yacht. Can the boat not wait? I mean my friend's health and sanity is the most important thing here, in my opinion."
read also : A pink goodbye to Anna
Nicole Smith Her mom, deep in custody battles, is alternately cheered and
booed by spectators
L.A. judge allows Anna Nicole Smith Body to be buried
found at : Actress Archives
| Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Within hours of the tragic death of Anna Nicole Smith, various parties with
vested interests in the Anna Nicole case filed lawsuits and injunctions in
courts in both Florida and California. Last week, less than a day after the former Playboy Playmate and TrimSpa spokesperson died after being found in her hotel room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Florida, Larry Birkhead and his lawyer, Debra Opri, filed a request to hold the body of Anna Nicole Smith in Florida to allow for a DNA sample to be taken from her body in order to corroborate DNA paternity tests conducted on the daughter of Anna Nicole Smith, Dannielynn Stern.
On Wednesday, a judge granted an end to the hold that had been placed on the release of the body of Anna Nicole Smith, according to the Associated Press. James Neavitt, the attorney for Howard K. Stern, Anna Nicole Smith's partner and the man listed as the father of Dannielynn on her birth certificate, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying, "California has no need for the body of Anna Nicole." Howard K. Stern is one of the several men claiming paternity of Anna Nicole Smith's daughter, Dannielynn. Other men that believe they may be the father include Smith's former boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, a former bodyguard for Anna Nicole Smith, Alexander Denk, and Prince Frederic von Anhalt, the husband of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor. There has also been some speculation that Anna Nicole Smith may have frozen sperm from her late husband, J. Howard Marshall, and used that to artificially inseminate herself.
For the ruling on ending the hold placed on the body of Anna Nicole Smith, Judge Robert A. Schnider ruled behind closed doors, as was requested by Ron Rale, the attorney for the Anna Nicole Smith estate. At a press conference following the decision, Ron Rale was quoted by the AP as saying, "Hopefully the Florida courts are going to administer justice the same way the California courts did" The hold on Anna Nicole Smith's body was originally sought by Debra Opri to ensure that when paternity tests were conducted on Dannielynn, the child tested was in fact that of Anna Nicole Smith, and that the baby that is DNA tested is not switched to provide a false finding. While the hold had been placed on Anna Nicole Smith's body, which prevented it from being buried or cremated, Stern's lawyer, James Neavitt, said that Florida officials who performed the autopsy on Anna Nicole Smith had preserved Smith's DNA.
The Los Angeles court ruling came down just hours after a Florida court had decided to uphold the court decision made in California. Broward County Circuit Judge Lawrence Korda granted the original request made by Larry Birkhead and attorney Debra Opri that the body of Anna Nicole Smith be held until at least Feb. 20 pending a California hearing about the paternity of Dannielynn. Since last Thursday, when Anna Nicole Smith was pronounced dead, her body has been held at the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office in Dania Beach, Florida. Broward County medical examiner Dr. Joshua Perper confirmed that DNA samples have already been taken from Anna Nicole Smith, and Perper further urged that the body of Anna Nicole Smith be released immediately for embalming and burial since her corpse was beginning to decay. Reuters quoted Dr. Perper as saying, "Further delay may affect the integrity of the body and its aesthetic appearance."
With the release of the body of Anna Nicole Smith, another question remains unanswered as to who will get the body of Anna Nicole Smith. The Miami Herald reported yesterday that the attorney for Howard K. Stern wanted her body released to him so he could bury her in the Bahamas next to her son, Daniel Smith, who died on Sept. 10 of last year. At the same time, Anna Nicole Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, also called Dr. Perper to try to secure the release of the remains of Anna Nicole Smith so that she could bury her daughter in Texas. Perper told both interested parties that, "it will take a court order," to secure the release of Anna Nicole's body, and while the court ruling in Los Angeles Wednesday morning allows for the release of the body, the ruling does not say to whom the body should be released. Ron Rale, the attorney for Anna Nicole Smith's estate, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that, "I am imploring Virgie to back off on this issue to the extent she thinks she's going to obtain the body of Anna Nicole." Rale continued, "You know that certainly Virgie, the purported mother of Anna Nicole is not somebody Anna Nicole held in high esteem. We all know that Anna Nicole would not want Virgie to have control of her body."
While Ron Rale and the interested parties debate over who should gain control over the remains of Anna Nicole Smith, Dr Perper again noted the deteriorated condition of the body of Anna Nicole. AP quoted Perper, who said, "Nicole has been there already five days and any further delay will effect proper embalming." Perper warned that, "any further delay would result in destructive changes."
WE Will miss you !
Tribute to Anna Nicole Smith
Anna Nicole Smith: 1967-2007
Anna Nicole Smith was born Vicki Lynn Hogan on November 28, 1967 in Houston,
Texas. She left us on February 8, 2007.
We liked Anna. She had a certain, shall we say, hutzpah - a drive
and will to succeed. Well, if not to "succeed," then to burn her
existence - her look, her behavior, her very essence - into our consciousness.
She was a "Popular Cultural Icon." She was a force of nature to be
reckoned with - and we reckoned.
Her Golden Years were the early-to-mid-'90s. You all know her from Playboy
- how could any red-blooded male forget? March of 1992, there she was on the
cover, reminding us of another icon - one named Marilyn Monroe. She was blonde,
busty, gorgeous - an image of lust and desire, surely, but also something else -
a certain playfulness, a certain mischievous look in her eyes. She had secrets -
maybe she'd share them with us, maybe she wouldn't. But we were curious and had
to know more.
What's even better is that she started appearing in some of our favorite
movies of that time. She played Za-Za in The Hudsucker Proxy, the Coen
Brothers' comedy starring Tim Robbins and Paul Newman. She was right at home in
this period piece - her glamorous retro look was perfect and made us
realize she would've been a major star back in the early days of Hollywood. She
also appeared as a deadly femme fatale in The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The
Final Insult, opposite comedy master Leslie Nielsen. Anna certainly wasn't
afraid of self-parody, a quality that makes us like a pretty gal even more - her
character was even the butt of a joke on The Crying Game (we'll give
you one guess which scene).
Anna
kind of disappeared for a while in the late '90s - where did she go? She was
still on the radar, but a bit lower than she used to be - and we were waiting
for her comeback. She made one - and, appropriately, in the form of self-parody,
with The Anna Nicole Show, an uncensored reality series that started
airing in 2002. Here was Anna Nicole - uncut, unapologetic and full-throttle -
and we dared anyone to try to take their eyes away.
We were hoping this was just the first step in The Return of Anna Nicole. We
hoped she would come up with something that would bring her back to the pop
culture spotlight, something that didn't involve her family troubles or legal
battles. We wanted to see her in a Summer Movie, or lend her likeness (or at
least her voice) to a video game - something. Unfortunately, this was not meant
to be. She left us at the age of 39.
related: A pink goodbye to Anna
Nicole Smith
Her mom, deep in custody battles, is alternately cheered and booed by spectators
