David Carradine's Family Reaches Out to FBI and Famed Pathologist

The family of David Carradine sought help from the FBI and an independent pathologist to investigate the actor's death, and threatened legal action against anyone who reprinted photos a Thai tabloid purported to be of Carradine's body at the scene.
Thai police initially said they suspected suicide after Carradine's body was found naked and hanging in a hotel room closet last week in Bangkok. Police have since said the actor may have died from accidental suffocation or heart failure as a result of autoerotic asphyxiation because a rope had also been tied around his genitals.
Mark Geragos, an attorney for Carradine's half-brother, Keith, told the Associated Press the family will ask forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden to investigate whether another person could have been involved in the death.
Col. Somprasong Yenthuam of the Thai police told the AP that surveillance camera footage and interviews with hotel staffers suggest that Carradine was alone at the time he died.
The results of an autopsy performed Friday by Bangkok authorities were not expected for at least three weeks. Geragos explained the enlistment of Baden, who frequently consults on high-profile cases, by saying, "It's an amazing thing what a good pathologist can accomplish."

The FBI confirmed for the AP that the Carradine family has been in touch regarding the investigation. Generally, the FBI only gets involved in overseas death investigations if a crime is suspected, and it was unclear whether Thai police would involve the U.S. agency.

The grainy photo that appeared in a Bangkok tabloid during the weekend upset Carradine's family, which said in a statement that "any persons, publications or media outlets will be fully prosecuted for invasion of privacy and causing severe emotional distress if the photos are published."
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