NASSAU, Bahamas – Reality TV star Anna Nicole Smith attended the funeral of her son on Thursday, nearly six weeks after he mysteriously died while visiting her in the hospital where she had given birth to a daughter.
A gold-colored hearse brought the body of 20-year-old Daniel Smith to the cemetery, followed by three white limousines. The mahogany casket was whisked inside a large green tent for the service. Wailing and screaming was heard from inside the tent.
"The only thing I can tell you is it's going (on) now," Deborah Cartwright of Lakeview Memorial Gardens & Mausoleums, the cemetery in Nassau, told The Associated Press.
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The 38-year-old former Playboy playmate, who gave birth to a daughter three days before her son died Sept. 10 at her hospital beside, attended the service, said Loretta Butler-Turner, director of the funeral home hired by the family. Baptist Bishop Neil Ellis conducted the service, Butler-Turner said.
At least six police officers guarded the main entrance to the cemetery, barring everyone except for invited guests. Other officers in uniform and plain clothes stood outside the tent. A small crowd of onlookers gathered just outside the cemetery.
Daniel Smith died after spending the night at the hospital with his mother and newborn half-sister. An American pathologist hired by Anna Nicole Smith has said he died from a lethal combination of methadone and two antidepressants.
Bahamas Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez said Thursday that police had not yet submitted a report on their investigation. Authorities will evaluate that report and the Bahamian pathologist's conclusions to determine whether a jury inquest is necessary. Official toxicology results have not been publicly released.
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