LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – A forensic pathologist who oversaw a second autopsy on “Kung Fu” star David Carradine’s body at the direction of his family suggested yesterday that the death was not a suicide but declined to say why.
Dr. Michael Baden told Reuters that the actor’s family wants to withhold details until a full investigation is completed.
“There are certain findings of the autopsy that would indicate that it’s not a suicide, but I don’t want to go beyond what’s been said until we can review all the information coming in from Thailand and come to a final opinion as to the cause and manner of death,” said Baden, host of cable channel HBO’s “Autopsy” series.
Carradine, 72, was found hanging in the closet of his hotel suite in Bangkok on June 4. His body was flown to Los Angeles last weekend.
The media pointed to suicide or accidental autoerotic asphyxiation as possible causes of death. But Thai authorities have said it will be weeks before they reach a final conclusion based on toxicology and lab reports.
Dr. Jonathan Arden, a forensic pathologist who testifies in court, said Baden’s comments raise “the question of how he can state it’s not a suicide if he needs the tests and the results of the investigation to reach a conclusion.”
Authorities in the United States classify death by autoerotic asphyxiation as accidental and not the result of suicide.
Carradine was most famous for his role in the 1970s television series “Kung Fu.” He enjoyed a comeback earlier this decade as the titular star of Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” movies.
