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CNN Larry King Live

Anna Nicole Smith's Son Dies

Aired September 12, 2006 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Tonight, sex symbol Anna Nicole Smith devastated, shattered by the shocking death of her 20-year-old son Daniel just days after she gave him a baby sister. How can she cope with the heartbreaking loss of a beloved child who never really sought the spotlight?

Exclusive insights from Anna Nicole's attorney and close friend Howard Stern, the doctor who delivered her new baby, a top Bahamian police official, plus the CEO of TRIMSPA and much more.

It's all next on LARRY KING LIVE.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Good evening. We begin in Nassau, the Bahamas, Dr. Hubert Minnis, Anna Nicole's obstetrician at Doctor's Hospital.

And, in New York, Alex Goen, the CEO of TRIMSPA. Anna Nicole is the celebrity spokeswoman for TRIMSPA.

First, Dr. Minnis, how is the newborn baby doing?

DR. HUBERT MINNIS, ANNA NICOLE'S OBSTETRICIAN: Oh, the newborn baby is doing excellent. One cannot have expected anything else. It was a nice, smooth, non-complex, non-complicated delivery and she is doing just fine, perfect.

KING: And she's -- and Anna Nicole is doing well as well?

MINNIS: Yes, she's doing very well. I saw her today just checking on the cut that we had done for the Cesarean section and she's in perfect condition improving remarkably and improving like we had expected her to. I expect her to be up and around just like everyone else who has had such a procedure in a very short time and traveling if she wants to very, very soon.

KING: How is she doing emotionally?

MINNIS: Well that's a very interesting question because any mother who has lost a child obviously would experience some degree of grief and she, like any mother, would be experiencing some grief. If you, yourself, have experienced the loss of a child under any circumstances regardless to how strong one are or how much barrier one may put before them to try and hide it, one cannot hide such a thing. It's a great emotional shock.

KING: What happened, Dr. Minnis, and we'll get to Alex in a couple minutes, what happened on Sunday? Can you take us through it? Were you there?

MINNIS: Yes, I was their physician that had performed the Cesarean section. She was brought in, had a routine Cesarean section that was done under epidural anesthesia. The Cesarean section was non-complicated. A live female infant was delivered.

And, during the entire procedure we were talking quite jovially. She was quite alert, awake, and talking to me, laughing, giggling, smiling, et cetera during the procedure.

And, just like any mother, when the baby came out she wanted to hold her baby and, of course, she held her baby and comforted that baby just like any mother would do and like anyone would expect. The Cesarean section was completed uncomplicated after which she was transferred to the ward.

KING: And what happened in the -- were you, by the way, were you in the room when her son passed away?

MINNIS: No, I was not there. That happened on a Sunday and I was not present at that time. I was informed and came up and everything was completed.

KING: Did you see her soon after?

MINNIS: Yes, I saw her after and, of course, like any mother she would have been experiencing some degree of grief and been emotionally stricken. That's expected of anybody. If one had acted differently, then one would be very concerned but like any mother she was very, very...

KING: Do we know anything about the cause of death?

MINNIS: Oh, no I was not involved with her son. Just like you I found out afterward and as an obstetrician/gynecologist I would not have been managing him.

KING: Have you heard any reports of anything with regard to cause?

MINNIS: No, I have not. I have not.

KING: Alex Goen, you're the CEO of TRIMSPA. Alex is in New York. Anna Nicole is the celebrity spokeswoman for TRIMSPA. Have you had the chance to talk with her?

ALEX GOEN, CEO OF TRIMSPA: Yes, I talked to her just about two hours ago.

KING: What did she say?

GOEN: Well, it was a very emotional conversation. Basically, I guess about a 45 to one hour conversation probably got a chance to really understand about five minutes of what she was saying.

She was very, very emotional. She broke down many times. And, the few times when she was coherent was when she talked about her baby girl and she brightened up for a moment there but very quickly starting thinking about Daniel and broke down immediately afterwards.

KING: Are you a friend of hers as well as a business associate?

GOEN: Yes.

KING: Did you know her son well?

GOEN: I knew her son. Over the last three years we got to know him on different shoots and really a great kid.

KING: Yes, what can you tell us? What was he like?

GOEN: He seemed to be a little shy in front of the camera but behind the camera he lit up. He always had something to say about a shoot. He had a lot of input, wise kid, good student, just very, very sincere and he just absolutely loved his mom. He lit up when he saw his mom and his mom lit up when Daniel walked into the room. They had a magical relationship.

KING: Did she, Alex, have any idea of the cause?

GOEN: We could not get into that kind of conversation. I mean she was not in that state to talk about the cause.

KING: I mean because it had to be for want of a better term bizarre. I mean he's sitting in the room right?

GOEN: My understanding they spent the night in the room correct.

KING: And then a 20-year-old just passes away is hard to comprehend.

GOEN: Well, no question about it. I mean how does a mother deal with that? I mean most moms would never, ever have to deal with the loss of a son and it's just hard to imagine. I know after Howard shared the news with me I reached down and gave my wife and my two kids a huge, huge hug, just appreciating the fact that they're alive.

KING: We have an e-mail question from our website, cnn.com/larryking. It's from Melody in Steelville, Illinois. "Did Daniel receive medical care for anything in the past that might now be seen as something more serious than what they previously thought?"

GOEN: I don't know of anything. I'm unaware. I don't know really his medical history.

KING: So you don't know of any major prior illness or whatever?

GOEN: No, do not know.

KING: And, Anna Nicole never said anything that might indicate something?

GOEN: Not at all. He always looked very healthy to me. He had a lot of energy. I would never have thought there was anything wrong.

KING: We'll be right back with more on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: What's he doing high school?

ANNA NICOLE SMITH: High school.

KING: Doing well?

SMITH: Honor student, straight As, yes.

KING: Was Mr. Marshall good to Daniel?

SMITH: Absolutely.

KING: So he was a good stepfather?

SMITH: Oh, absolutely.

KING: And how did Daniel handle all of this?

SMITH: My life?

KING: Yes, your marriage to the older man how did he deal with it?

SMITH: He dealt with it very well. We've always stuck together through (INAUDIBLE).

KING: Did he get kidded about it?

SMITH: No.

KING: At school?

SMITH: No.

KING: No?

SMITH: He was too young for that I think.

KING: One would imagine he went to private school.

SMITH: Right, he's been in a lot of private schools.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That was an appearance by Anna Nicole Smith on this program in 2002.

Alex Goen, the CEO of TRIMSPA, she is the celebrity spokesperson for that company, remains with us. He's in New York.

And, Inderia Saunders is a reporter for the Nassau Guardian. She broke the story of the death of Daniel Wayne Smith.

And, Joanie Laurer is here with us in Los Angeles, formerly known in the wrestling world as Chyna. She co-stars with Anna Nicole Smith in "Illegal Aliens."

Anna Nicole's son Daniel, the late Daniel, was a producer on the film. When is that film coming?

JOANIE LAURER, ACTRESS WORKING WITH ANNA NICOLE: We're expecting in the fall. It's going to be in the fall sometime.

KING: Is it an independent movie?

LAURER: It is an independent and we are looking at distributors and apparently it will come out this fall, so I'm still waiting as well in lieu of everything that's happened, you know, we don't know.

KING: Is it a comedy?

LAURER: It's a comedy. We went to New York. I actually did go to New York to promote the film with the producers and the director and Anna was not available to make it at that time. So, we're hoping that it will come out. She did an awesome job and so did I and it will be a hit.

KING: Alex, she will, I don't want to put words in your mouth, will she remain with the company?

GOEN: We would love to have her remain with the company. I mean it's absolutely an incredible story her transformation. You know at this point we're not really thinking about that too much. We're just trying to do whatever we can to comfort her and have her, you know, come through with this very difficult time.

I mean her baby girl needs her right now, needs her to be strong, and I think she will be there. I think it's going to be difficult the next couple of days but that's most important. And, so our company is looking to support her in any way we can.

KING: Because for weight loss she's a great, what a great symbol because she looks tremendous.

Inderia Saunders is a reporter with the Nassau Guardian. How did you learn of the death, Inderia?

INDERIA SAUNDERS, NASSAU GUARDIAN: Well around shortly before 11:00 a.m. Sunday morning, I received an anonymous tip that the son of celebrity Anna Nicole Smith had just died at Doctor's Hospital.

My co-worker and I, we went down to the hospital just to see what was going on to see if this was true first of all. When we got there, we saw heightened security. There were about five security guards at the front entrance with a list of patient names. All the entrances that would normally have been open were locked. So that kind of confirmed for us that something was going on at the hospital.

KING: And then how did you check it out?

SAUNDERS: Later on that day -- later on that day, while police officials called a press conference and they verified that a 20-year- old male had died on the ward. Sources told me that it was actually the son of Anna Nicole Smith.

KING: As you continue to track the story have you learned anything about the cause?

SAUNDERS: Well, inside sources working on the preliminary investigation told the Nassau Guardian yesterday that antidepressants and other drugs were found in his system. They said that that was probably the cause of his death.

KING: That would have to be an awful lot of antidepressants wouldn't there, Inderia, to kill someone?

SAUNDERS: I would think so. I would assume so. I'm not an expert but I would think so.

KING: Reginald Ferguson is the assistant commissioner of Bahamas Police. He joins us now as well from Nassau. What do we know Reginald?

REGINALD FERGUSON, BAHAMAS POLICE: Hello, how are you?

KING: I'm fine.

FERGUSON: What is it that you would like to know now?

KING: What do we know of the cause of death?

FERGUSON: We have not had the pathologist's report as yet on this matter and we have not -- it's not been determined what the cause of death is at this time.

KING: Is there going to be an official state autopsy?

FERGUSON: Yes, of course, an autopsy will be done and at the completion of the autopsy the report will be issued to the coroner.

KING: And that will -- when is the autopsy going to take place?

FERGUSON: Well the pathologist is not a police entity and those professionals they work and they follow certain procedures. We have no control over that and so when they are -- when it's completed then the report will be -- the death certificate will be issued and the report will be sent to the coroner and that's when the information will be made available.

KING: Is there any, Reginald, criminal question at all?

FERGUSON: So far no foul play is suspected in this matter.

KING: Thank you, Reginald. We'll continue with more of our guests and your phone calls as well on the death of this young man in tragic circumstances in Nassau and, again, no known cause.

You're watching LARRY KING LIVE.

Jimmy Carter will be with us tomorrow night and Sean Penn on Thursday. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Did you have a child at the time?

SMITH: I had my son Daniel at the time.

KING: How old is he now?

SMITH: He's 16.

KING: The first time I talked with you I think he was eight or nine or ten.

SMITH: Yes, he was a baby back then.

KING: And you've raised him through all of these trials and tribulations that you've gone through.

SMITH: Yes, I have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Young Daniel is gone.

Joining us now in addition to the panel is in New York Larry Sutton, People magazine staff editor. People is reporting that Daniel Smith died of unnatural causes. What can you tell us Larry?

LARRY SUTTON, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: Well that's what the chief medical examiner told our reporter today. But I caution you not to look too much into that word unnatural. It's unnatural in the sense of a 20-year-old man dying. That's not a natural cause. The full autopsy result she tells us will come out on Friday and that's when we'll have a full idea of what caused his death.

KING: So, in other words, if a 20-year-old man died of a heart attack that would be unnatural.

SUTTON: That would be unnatural, absolutely, so it's a word that might cause a little concern but again look into it and it simply means that this is not a normal occurrence.

KING: Do you have any lead? I know how people cover something like this. You swarm. Do you have any leads beyond that?

SUTTON: Well, we do. I mean it appears that he has had some sort of a medical problem in the past. This is what some folks have told us. We haven't confirmed that yet but we're still working on that.

Perhaps it might have been a heart problem from maybe two, three years ago, nothing major. It might have led to this. Again, we're like everyone else though. We wait until the autopsy report comes out and then we'll go along with what the doctors say as to what caused the death.

KING: What do you make of the statement about antidepressants?

SUTTON: Well, you know, antidepressants causing death I think is you'd have to take an awful lot of them to cause a death and I think something like that would be obvious to his doctors earlier. So, I take it with a grain of salt.

KING: From a People magazine standpoint how big a story is this?

SUTTON: Well, this is a very interesting story. I mean the fellow panelists here and I were just discussing earlier how if you go on the Internet now everyone is interested in this.

It's a tragic, it's a classic People story in the sense of you got the great joy of her having a child, a new girl, and the terrible tragedy of the death of her son, all occurring within just a few days, one after the other. It's something that is hard to handle for anyone, so I think people are curious to see how she is handling it.

KING: And there is no father present right?

SUTTON: Well, she has not disclosed the name of the father. There are possibilities but as far as she's concerned she would like to keep that private.

KING: How about the father of the young man who died?

SUTTON: The father of the young man who died we actually spoke to him this afternoon. Our reporters were out in Texas. He hasn't seen his son since the boy was two years old. He's really been out of Anna Nicole Smith's life for many years, more than a dozen years.

KING: Joanie, what kind of person was she to work with?

LAURER: I want to say that, you know, I started working actually when Anna was modeling for Lane Bryant and I was also modeling with her, worked on her reality show with her a couple times as a friend, as more of a favor, more than anything actually and wanted to, was very excited to do a movie with her.

I remember her way back when I was younger watching her in the (INAUDIBLE) to be very honest with you. I found her a little bit difficult to work with, not because she is a funny, wonderful person but I think that when you've been put through the wringer of reality television and people constantly talking about you and not having a lot of people around you because you need people around you. The one person that was around her was her son. That was very, very obvious.

KING: And he was on the set all the time?

LAURER: He was on the set all the time right by her side and she -- it seemed to me that she depended on him and loved him very...

KING: You talked to him a lot?

LAURER: I did. He was very quiet, had a very quiet demeanor and I guess I'm kind of the type of person I was thinking, you know, trying to get everybody revved up that, you know, we were doing a movie and it was very exciting and he's the producer. And so I'd go up and jab him a little and try and joke and get him to laugh. But it seemed to be kind of, you know, a little bit not as exciting or excited as I perhaps thought maybe somebody should be.

KING: Didn't meet your expectations?

LAURER: It's not that it didn't meet my expectations. It just bothered me that, you know, he was a producer and it seemed to me, you know, because I really like Anna and I wanted her and all of us to have as good of a time as we most possibly could.

KING: Alex, what kind of person is she as a contractual employee?

GOEN: She's a great person. She's responsible. She cares about the (INAUDIBLE) tremendously. She was unfortunately teased for many, many years about her weight and it's not really so much a business to her. It's something that's a crusade. She wants to be able to help other people. And when it's a crusade, when it's something that comes from your heart, it's a lot different than just getting a paycheck.

KING: How much weight has she lost?

GOEN: Well, you know, 69-plus pounds but it's quite a bit more than the 69 pounds.

KING: Really?

GOEN: Yes.

KING: And she's so into this that she'll come down quickly after the pregnancy too then?

GOEN: Well, I mean I don't know. You know I'm sure she will, I mean no question about it. She gets incredibly good results with the product but, you know, there's absolutely no guarantees but we're confident that she will. But right now it's not really about the weight. It's about her son and grieving his loss.

KING: Did she say anything to you about when she might be leaving the Bahamas?

GOEN: I believe they'll be leaving the Bahamas at the end of this week.

KING: And where is her home?

GOEN: I think that's something that should be kept private.

KING: We'll be right back with more. We'll be including your phone calls on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back. Before we meet a couple new guests joining us, let's check in with Ft. Pierce, Florida, as we go to the phones. Hello.

CALLER: Yes, I'd like to know why Anna and her son were in the Bahamas having the baby.

KING: Inderia, do you know?

SAUNDERS: Well, Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie said on Monday that she just got her permanent residency here in the Bahamas last week. So we have reports that she's been buying homes here in the Bahamas. She's been here for about three months or so.

KING: Thank you. Larry Sutton, do you know why she chose the Bahamas to give birth?

SUTTON: Sure. Some of her friends, her friends told our reporters that basically to get away from the hustle and bustle of life in Hollywood. And she wanted to go someplace calm, she wanted to go someplace where she wouldn't be that much of a fuss.

KING: That's not a permanent residence for her?

SUTTON: No, in the Bahamas actually if you buy a house and it's over a certain value, you automatically become a citizen of Bahamas. That doesn't mean you vote, it doesn't mean you have privileges as if you were born there, but you're called a citizen of the Bahamas.

KING: Saddle River, New Jersey, hello.

CALLER: Hi, Larry. We watch your show every night.

KING: Thank you.

CALLER: I have a question. Can we trust that the autopsy will be conducted correctly in the Bahamas?

KING: Meaning what? You mean because it's -- do you think the Bahamas is less than other countries?

CALLER: Well, I've traveled the world and, you know, sometimes the medical care and perhaps the attention to details in conducting an autopsy of this manner, such as a mysterious death, would question.

KING: Larry, is that a fair question? SUTTON: I suppose it's a fair question but I wouldn't besmirch the doctors in the Bahamas. After all, they've got a great medical system there and she went there to have her baby delivered so she must have had great faith in the medical system.

KING: Joining us in New York is John James, executive producer of "Illegal Aliens." The film stars Anna Nicole and her late son Daniel. He was one of the producers. "Dynasty" fans are going to recognize John James as Jeff Colby, the character he played on that series. There's that very familiar face. And David Giancola is director and co-producer of "Illegal Aliens." John, how did this film come together?

JOHN JAMES, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Larry, just about over a year ago David called me about this property and I passed and I said I'd like to do a family movie and he insisted. And he said, please, we've got to do this film. It's funny, it's off the edge. And I agreed.

And I had to go out of town and the next thing I know is he told me that we had hired Anna Nicole. And I said, Anna Nicole Smith? And I thought, oh, my goodness, you're kidding, right? And so we went off to the races. And here we are a year later. And if anybody told me on the set that I would be sitting on live television with you, Larry, I'd say they were nuts.

KING: How good is she?

JAMES: She is absolutely hysterical in this. She -- I think David would be able to fill you out on this. But when we submitted the script, for the first time I think maybe in Hollywood history that we received -- she accepted the role, but it was completely rewritten, her character.

And I fought it and we accepted it and I think that the movie is a parody on Hollywood and Hollywood's B movies and just Hollywood in general and their action in sci-fi films. And I think Anna created a role almost doing a parody of how people perceive Anna Nicole Smith.

KING: David, how did young Mr. Smith get involved? How did the boy get involved?

DAVID GIANCOLA, DIRECTOR: Well, I know that everything that Anna did in the movie, she really ran by Daniel. I know Daniel was part of the re-write that they did -- that they submitted to me actually before I had cast her in the movie.

I actually -- interestingly enough, we wasted a lot of money by hiring a casting director because we had Joanie who is there with you who read -- spent an entire day reading for the part pretty much badgering us into realizing she was really great. And then before Anna had the part and I had actually said to her, "Anna, I'm not sure if you're right," she said, "Well, we're going to punch up the character and add some jokes."

And then she sent us back her version of the script. And then she said, "I'd like Daniel to produce it. It would be good experience for him." And, oh, yes, we want to invest. And the next thing I know I've got, you know, Anna and Chyna in my movie.

KING: How was Daniel to work with?

GIANCOLA: Daniel was great. You know, he was very quiet, but he also was effectively our -- I don't know what you call the 20- somethings now, Gen-X or Gen-Y. He was our filter. And the movie is a comedy set really for 20 somethings, for young people. It's very raucous, it's very ribald. And if he laughed at it, we knew it was going to work.

And what he would do, I know that he worked on the script, their re-write, which actually turned out to be very funny. And he would come up to me very quietly and make suggestions about things that his mother could do that I didn't have the -- the ability to ask her to do.

JAMES: Or the guts.

GIANCOLA: I didn't have the guts to ask her to do. That's some of the film's best humor.

KING: John, did you have any knowledge of any prior illness?

JAMES: No.

KING: Nothing, he was completely healthy as you saw working with him?

JAMES: He was a typical 19-year-old kid who loved playing Xbox and I was telling him that we've got to get him up there in Vermont to get him on a snowboard. And I would run music by him. Howard would say, you know, run it by Daniel. If Daniel likes it, it's good. It will work in the movie.

KING: Alex, did you know and do you know how funny she is?

GOEN: Oh, no question about it. She has one heck of a sense of humor. You know, she's very different in front of the camera versus behind the camera. The camera's off and a sense of humor that you would never have expected comes out. And very smart, really caring.

She's a very different person. I guess the best way to describe her was the very first time I talked with her was, I heard her commenting on a telephone in the background when Howard was talking to me and she got on the telephone and she was very uncomfortable talking to the CEO of TRIMSPA. And -- but after a short period of time she really -- her whole demeanor changed and she warmed up and she's -- she's got a big heart, really big heart.

KING: The Howard you're referring to is Howard Stern, right?

GOEN: Yes, Howard K. Stern.

KING: Her lawyer and friend, Howard K. Stern. We'll be back with more calls, don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back. And back to the calls. Green Bay, Wisconsin. Hello.

CALLER: Hello.

KING: Hi.

CALLER: Hi there. I was wondering, if Daniel was on antidepressants, could they have prescribed the wrong medication for his condition? And if he did have a condition, what was it that he was on antidepressants for?

KING: Larry, a lot of that we don't know, right?

SUTTON: That's right. Total speculation. No one knows. You really have to talk to the people with him and his doctors. And again, wait until Friday when there will be an autopsy report. You will know more then.

KING: Is the supposition, Larry, that it was heart?

SUTTON: There's a lot of speculation about that. A lot of friends have pointed to incidents in his past where he had gone to the hospital. They believe there were heart problems there. Again, not totally proven, but that's the speculation at the moment.

KING: Did you ever get an indication of that, Joanie?

LAURER: Well, I'm going to say something that I don't mean to be inappropriate and I hope I don't make a mistake by saying this, but I worked in a business where there was many things prescribed, nonprescribed. And it was always heart related, which worries me. You know, and, of course, you don't know what young kids are doing. They're out, you know, having fun, you know, there's a lot happening out there.

KING: You mean you suspect that taking something that would effect the heart particularly?

LAURER: Absolutely. Yes, I do.

KING: But you never saw him do anything like that?

LAURER: No, I never did. And we had, you know, a great time. It was fun. He was on set, very serious. I think he was very excited to do what he was doing. He watched, looked, listened. And then at night, you know, we got together, we had some fun. And, you know, he was -- he was bright and happy and on the job the next day.

KING: David, did Anna Nicole ever mention to you anything regarding the health of Daniel?

GIANCOLA: No, she did not. Daniel was perfectly healthy. He was -- as I said, he was always very quiet, but he knew how to get his thoughts across and his creative ideas into the film, which is I think something he learned from his mother, from being next to her for so long. But he was -- he was vibrant and, as you can see from a lot of the footage, he was a normal -- when we were shooting, a normal 19- year-old boy. He loved his Xbox. I know he was a big surfing fan. He made friends with a lot of the crew members that lasted far after the production ended and had sent e-mails and post-its and things like that. And you know, nothing like that.

KING: By the way, when will we see "Illegal Aliens?"

GIANCOLA: Well, at this point we've decided until we can talk with Anna and Howard K. Stern about the production and about the future -- we were about to send them my latest cut of the film for their comments. We are officially putting the production on hold. We are, of course, still looking for a distributor for the film. We do not -- we have had offers, but we have not placed the film yet.

KING: But it is done?

GIANCOLA: The film is done. We are tweaking. We've had some screenings that have had really good responses. And it's a comedy, so we're trying to make it as funny as possible. We've had some good responses, and it's been a collaborative effort between Daniel and -- in L.A. recently, and then Howard and Anna in the Bahamas.

KING: Augusta, Georgia, hello.

CALLER: Yes, hello. You know, I just wanted to call and say, my 18-year-old daughter just about a year ago this time passed away of mysterious causes too. And to this day, they don't know what she passed away of. She -- like I said, was healthy 18-year-old girl. Just on the cusp of becoming an adult, just as Anna Nicole's son was. And my heart just goes out so strongly to her, because this is the most awful thing that any person could ever have to go through in their life.

And as I said, a year later, we still don't have any answers as to why my baby died. And it wasn't in the Bahamas, it was right here in the U.S.

KING: Was there an autopsy, ma'am?

CALLER: I'm sorry?

KING: Was there an autopsy?

CALLER: Yes, there was an autopsy. And it's been, like I said, just almost a year. And they still don't really know.

KING: And what did the autopsy say?

CALLER: I'm sorry? Autopsy, it says unknown causes. They don't know what she passed away of.

KING: I wonder, Larry, if there's a lot of that?

SUTTON: It happens from time to time. I don't think there's a lot of that. Science, of course, today, you know, they can pinpoint most causes of death. So it's unusual.

KING: But there is the possibility we may not know?

SUTTON: Anything is possible, of course. But again, I think that after you get a complete autopsy, you'll probably have a good reason as to what exactly was the cause of death.

KING: Alex, in talking to her today, was there any optimism or faith? She's not a very prayerful person. What does she do in that area?

GOEN: Well, we actually -- I had mentioned we're all praying for her, and she was very appreciative of it, and she mentioned that she's praying herself.

And, you know, it's a lot of times during a very tragic time in your life that you -- you grow closer to God, and that very well may be the case here.

I think that she needs to have faith to pull through this. I don't think -- I think it's going to be hard doing it alone. You need someone else there. And I -- I think -- I think that she's praying. I think that she's trying to get some kind of help like that.

KING: We'll be right back in a little while with more. Tough, tough situation.

Let's go to Afghanistan, check in with Anderson Cooper, who will host "AC 360" at the top of the hour -- Anderson.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC 360": Yes, Larry, we're broadcasting again from a forward operating base right along the Pakistan border. And tonight we're going to take you out on patrol with soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division, hiking through the mountains in Taliban territory. We're going to show you a Taliban bunker, their position. An eerie feeling looking through the observation posts of the Taliban position and seeing this forward operating base, where we are standing right now. The enemy all around. Soldiers say they watch what is happening in this base. We'll bring you the latest from this patrol.

We'll also show you how it was that Osama bin Laden was able to disappear when U.S. forces were on his trail. His trail, of course, is now gone cold. The search continues. We'll have a look back at how it was that he was able to escape from the Tora Bora mountains. All that and more, Larry, at the top of the hour.

KING: One thing, Anderson. Are you pretty much safe?

COOPER: Well, you know, we've got a lot of soldiers around us. So you're as safe as you can be. But you know, they take incoming fire here just about every day, and they're going out on patrol every day in some very rough territory. So it's a very dynamic environment. That's a word they tend to use a lot.

KING: Stay well. Anderson Cooper, the host of "AC 360," at the top of the hour. That's at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific, and we'll be back with more. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Alex Goen, you mentioned that she would be going home soon. Would you think she might stay in the Bahamas until they have some sort of conclusive report?

GOEN: There's a possibility of that. I'm sure they may change their mind. I heard that they would be flying into L.A. at the end of the week. But, you know, it's -- I'm sure there's nothing that's concrete right now. Everything's changing from -- from hour to hour. It's very difficult at this time for them, of course.

KING: Beckley, West Virginia, hello.

CALLER: Yes, I was calling about regarding Anna Nicole just giving birth and the possibility of baby blues or post partum depression, compounded with the fact that she lost her son. Is she under any additional medical supervision, in that aspect?

KING: Excellent question. Shouldn't we be concerned about that, Joanie?

LAURER: Most definitely.

KING: I mean, post partum is common.

LAURER: Post partum.

KING: You don't have situations like this.

LAURER: Moodiness, certainly. She has been dealing with her court case, the death of her son. I have...

KING: ... You would expect it.

LAURIE: I personally have not been in contact with Anna. I tried to get a hold of her. I know that she is worried about security reasons. And I have tried and tried over to let her know that she's just to have people around her.

KING: Larry, shouldn't that be a concern?

SUTTON: That should be a major concern, Larry, of course. I mean, this is a time when she needs people around her. Friends, as many as she's got, surround her. Just to keep her on the up and up. Two tragedies. I mean, this tragedy that comes on the heels of high, a great high of having a birth of a daughter and than that tremendous low. It's a tough thing for anyone to handle.

KING: John James, do you agree?

JAMES: Larry, I was down visiting Anna with my family here just 10 days ago in Nassau, before the kids went back to school. And we -- I had been on an emotional rollercoaster ride and been whip sawed around from finding out that she had the baby on Friday to an emotional Howard K. Stern calling us on Sunday and my wife crying in the kitchen.

So I can just only imagine -- and by the way, we forgot to mention this, that Howard called to tell us that on Sunday and also that Anna wanted the movie to be in Daniel's memory, to be that dedicated to Daniel. And we heard that on Sunday. So I just can't imagine what she's going through because my wife is very, very devastated as well.

KING: We'll be back with some more moments on this tender, tough topic. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Take another call. El Paso, Texas, hello.

CALLER: Yes, I wanted to ask who is the father of Anna Nicole's baby girl?

KING: Larry?

SUTTON: Well, she keeps it private. There are three possibilities. There's a photographer who says he had a relationship with her for a while. There's a possibility it may have come from a sperm bank and perhaps even her former husband that's out there. You know, maybe even Howard Smith, Howard K. Smith II. She wants to keep it quiet and that's the way it is.

KING: Alex, is any male supporting the child?

GOEN: Um.

KING: Was any male supporting Daniel?

GOEN: Any male supporting Daniel? I think Anna was supporting Daniel.

KING: How about the new baby?

GOEN: As far as the new baby, I think I should keep that confidential at this point. When Anna's ready to talk about it, she'll talk about it.

KING: Just for -- just for interest, do you know the father?

GOEN: I was told, yes.

KING: OK, none of my business. David Giancola, what affect on the film if any?

GIANCOLA: We're all really shocked right now. We're not sure what kind of effect it has on the film. This has obviously been a roller coaster from day one when we hired Anna. Her reality show had ended, it was a year and a half ago or so and it was a totally different world. And from then to now, from the Supreme Court case to her having this beautiful child and to losing another beautiful child. It's been a roller coaster ride, so I'm not sure. We are -- we will eventually find a distributor, I'm sure, I'm not worried about that. But it's a question of having Anna back in the creative process if she can because we want her back in that process.

KING: Are you going to try to go see her, Joanie?

LAURER: I would love to go see her. As I said, I have been trying and trying and trying ever since the end of the film, because I feel that...

KING: ... Why hasn't she seen you?

LAURER: I feel that Anna is somebody who has not had a lot of female companionship around her and I haven't seen a lot of girlfriends. I tried that extra mile really to be her friend and to let her know that she does have a friend.

KING: Thanks, Joanie.

Larry Sutton, John James, David Giancola, Joanie Laurer and the guests who were with us earlier, and we thank them all for being us.

Coming up this week, two great shows you don't want to miss. Tomorrow night, former president Jimmy Carter. We'll talk about all the big issues of the day, the 9/11 anniversary, Iraq and North Korea. And on Thursday night, actor Sean Penn, one of the most interesting and maybe the best Hollywood star around. Controversial, political, outspoken, you will not want to miss that. Jimmy Carter, Sean Penn, that is a cornella.

Right now, we head back to Afghanistan. Standing by is Anderson Cooper. He will host "A.C. 360." Anderson?

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