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Has Daniel Smith’s death tarnished Bahamas?

The handling of the death of Anna Nicole Smith’s son has touched off a scandal in the image-conscious Bahamas, with an outspoken coroner reassigned and some worrying the media frenzy could damage the vital tourism industry.As rumors swirled about 20-year-old Daniel Smith’s death at his mother’s hospital bedside, head coroner Linda Virgill last week labeled the case “suspicious” and calle
/ Source: The Associated Press

The handling of the death of Anna Nicole Smith’s son has touched off a scandal in the image-conscious Bahamas, with an outspoken coroner reassigned and some worrying the media frenzy could damage the vital tourism industry.

As rumors swirled about 20-year-old Daniel Smith’s death at his mother’s hospital bedside, head coroner Linda Virgill last week labeled the case “suspicious” and called for an inquest that could lead to criminal charges.

The air of mystery began to lift this week as judicial officials removed Virgill from the case, citing unspecified remarks she made to the media. Authorities said tests could show Smith died of natural causes — meaning no inquest would be needed.

“To a certain extent, I question myself what is all the hullabaloo around the boy who died,” Reginald Ferguson, assistant commissioner for the Royal Bahamas Police Force, told The Associated Press on Friday. “No one shot him, and there’s no evidence of any crime taking place.”

But with the cause of death still unknown pending toxicology tests, it remained to be seen whether Virgill’s suspicions were unwarranted or officials were simply putting a better face on the investigation.

Smith died Sept. 10 while visiting the former reality TV star while she was recuperating from giving birth to a daughter three days earlier at a private Nassau hospital.

Two autopsies have ruled out homicide or suicide, but Ferguson said police were still investigating in part because the case was under such close media scrutiny.

“The fact of the matter is, the investigation surrounding this thing must be thoroughly done, it must be seen to be thoroughly investigated in any event,” he said. “You have to follow everything.”

Bahamas’ image tarnished?

Fears of missteps in the investigation have led some to worry about the islands’ image overseas, and led to comparisons with the much-criticized investigation into the disappearance of American teen Natalee Holloway in Aruba. Authorities there have arrested nine people in her disappearance and released all of them for lack of evidence.

“We are all aware of what happened in Aruba,” Michael Scott, a Bahamian attorney for Smith, said Thursday. “We don’t want that to happen in this jurisdiction.”

Some islanders disagree, saying Smith’s decision to choose the Bahamas when looking for privacy during her pregnancy will only boost its image.

“This won’t give us a bad reputation. We had nothing to do with the death,” said Wendell Cornish, a 55-year-old sales consultant.

Others say the government has tarnished its reputation at home by devoting too many resources to the 38-year-old American celebrity.

Virgill was removed from the case following complaints of preferential treatment after she quickly scheduled an Oct. 23 inquest — despite a backlog of local cases.

Virgill could not be reached for comment.

The opposition Free National Movement has laid on the criticism, saying Smith received special treatment from a government that “hastily” granted her permanent residency.

A death certificate has been issued with the cause listed as pending — a move that officials say is not unusual — and Scott said Smith is considering a Bahamas burial for her son.

A private pathologist hired by the family, Cyril Wecht, has said Daniel Smith was taking a low dose of the antidepressant Lexapro and suggested he could have died accidentally from a lethal combination of drugs.

But Wecht said it could take weeks for toxicology results to provide definitive answers.

Daniel Smith, who appeared several times on the E! reality series “The Anna Nicole Show,” was the son of Anna Nicole and Bill Smith, who married in 1985 and divorced two years later.

Smith’s camp has been silent on the identity of the newborn girl’s father.

Anna Nicole Smith married Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II in 1994, when she was 26 and he was 89. He died the following year and she has since been involved in legal disputes over the estate.