Anna's Accidental Drug Overdose

Dr. Joshua Perper, Broward County-FL Medical Examiner, announced this morning 39-yr-old Anna Nicole Smith died of an accidental drug overdose. Smith was taking methadone, anti-anxiety drugs and reportedly others.

Perper said Smith died of "combined drug intoxication" with the sleeping medication chloral hydrate as the major factor.

She had been taking a lengthy list of medications, including methadone for pain and valium, but those drugs were at therapeutic levels, he said. A bacterial infection from injecting medication in her buttocks and the flu contributed to her death, according to the report.

Chloral hydrate is a sedative used to treat insomnia and alcohol withdrawal, relieve anxiety and ease post-surgery pain.

-- Don't know about you guys but this is absolutely shocking news. Yeah right. Thanks for making us wait for this unsurprising news Perper.

Regarding Howard K. Stern: Chief Charlie Tiger of the Seminole Police Department, announced this morning there was no evidence of illegal drugs on the day Anna Nicole died and no evidence of foul play. -- HKS's computer was checked and there was no evidence of anything "untoward."

ADDITIONALLY: We learned over the weekend the Bahamian court hearing the 6-month-old Dannielynn paternity case - has granted Howard K. Stern's APPEAL on the DNA testing so we will not learn of the results this week - as we had hoped. The next hearing in the case is in April so we won't learn anything before then.