Anna Nicole Dead

[Marnie]

On Friday, we might get some answers about what killed Anna Nicole Smith.

The sudden death if the curvaceous beauty was not only stunning, but it's also the beginning of a battle over her baby and her fortune.

Sources tell CBS 2's Scott Weinberger that investigators found illegal narcotics as well as prescription medications in Anna Nicole's Florida hotel room.

Sources also tell CBS 2 that investigators removed eight bags of evidence from her hotel room.

Her body is now at the Broward Co. Medical Examiner's Office. A toxicology report will determine if the drugs played a role in her death, and an autopsy is scheduled for this morning.

Sources in Florida tell CBS 2's Tamsen Fadal that if Anna Nicole died of natural causes, the autopsy results could be released quickly. However, definitive test results could take weeks.

Of course, Anna Nicole's tragedy evokes memories of her idol, Marilyn Monroe, who died from a drug overdose at age 36.

Anna Nicole's last appearance on television was one month ago.

She appeared with her husband, Howard K. Stern at a boxing match at the very same hotel where she was found unconscious -- the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

According to eyewitness Elizabeth Martinez, "We just see the ambulance. They pushed her in -- just shove her in really fast."

Police said that Anna Nicole's bodyguard called the hotel operator to get help to her sixth floor room after a nurse traveling with the former Playboy Playmate and her husband found her unresponsive.

Smith was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors said she was dead on arrival.

Seminole Police Chief Charlie Tiger said, "The cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner."

On Thursday, Medical Examiner Joshua Pepper said, "Sometimes the findings are very obvious at the time when the autopsy is done. Sometimes the finding is more subtle and requires additional microscopic and chemical examination."

A Life In The Spotlight

Most of Anna Nicole Smith's sensational life was spent in the spotlight.

The busty Texas-born beauty was a topless dancer at strip club before she made the cover of Playboy magazine in 1992. She captivated readers with her Marilyn Monroe looks, and in 1993, she became Playboy's "Playmate of the Year."

Anna Nicole was also signed a contract with Guess Jeans, appearing in TV commercials, billboards and magazine ads.

In 1994, she married 89-year-old oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall. His death in 1995 sparked a feud over his fortune with Marshall's son.

The California Supreme Court awarded $474 million to Smith, but it was later overturned.

In May 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court revived her case, ruling that she deserved another day in court.

In September, Smith's 20-year-old son Daniel died in his mother's hospital room in the Bahamas. A mixture of drugs was to blame.

His death came just days after she gave birth to a daughter. There is still a question of who the father is.

"I just feel horrible for Danielynn that her mom is not around. And Anna was a great mom. I don t care what you hear, she was a great mom," said Smith's lawyer, Ron Rale.

"She went through a lot of heartache in her life and it was hard for her to deal with it," said Tal, who worked for Anna Nicole.

Of course, the bigger question remains: What happened Thursday that left Anna Nicole Smith dead at the age of 39?

The Latest News

--Sources tell CBS 2 that drugs were found in Anna Nicole's hotel room -- both narcotics and prescription meds.

--An autopsy is scheduled for today.

--There's also an emergency paternity hearing scheduled in Los Angeles today. We still don't know who the father of her baby is and hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake.

WCBSTV

[Guest lnj]

Didn't know too much about her, I know she fully made use of her celebrity status but it's sad to see a life wasted.

[Floatingaxe]

I saw her on TV a few weeks ago, where they had a cameraman in her hotel room with this man, her companion, and it was a mess--there was a basinette in the background--and she was incoherent. She was definitely showing signs of drug use/abuse, and so this news is not unexpected. Anna Nicole Smith was on a track toward self destruction. So sad.

[Guest Biblicist]

I saw her on TV a few weeks ago, where they had a cameraman in her hotel room with this man, her companion, and it was a mess--there was a basinette in the background--and she was incoherent. She was definitely showing signs of drug use/abuse, and so this news is not unexpected. Anna Nicole Smith was on a track toward self destruction. So sad.

The very same track her son lived and died on. What is sad is that she likely lead him down that track herself. I sure hope her little daughter has a better future ahead of her.

[Wingwalker]

This is sad news, and interestingly no illegal drugs were found.

[jamie]

This is sad news, and interestingly no illegal drugs were found.

But a lot of perscription drugs were.

[Scarletprayers]

What ever Anna Nicole's fate is, its beyond being changed now. I just feel so sorry for that tiny innocent baby, everybody is fighting over her, and the MONEY. I hope who ever gets custody of her, actually wants her.

[RustyAngeL]

Howard K Stern who claims to be the father of her baby is a user of the worst kind. He cares nothing about that baby or her. He see's the 480 million and that's all. Being a lawyer he will twist the law to suit him. funny. They say he was in the room with her son when he died and in the room when she died. Sounds to me that he is picking off the ones that stand in his way of all that money. They had better very careful of him or that baby will end up with nothing while he walks away with all of it.

[kat8585]

Now the story is it may be Marshall's, with sperm frozen before he died. I don't think so, tho it would be a way to guarantee she got the money, and sorry, I think she would have done this. But wouldn't she have gotten pregnant way before now? LIke, when the trial for the money was going on?

[jamie]

I saw an interview with a very close friend of Anna's, and she said Anna told her Larry Birkhead is the baby's father.

I believe he's the real father.