Friday, July 13, 2012

Billionaire's son arrested in wife's death

  • The inquest into the death of Eva Rausing opens in London
  • Her husband, 49-year-old Hans Kristian Rausing, is under arrest
  • Police tell the coroner he was arrested on suspicion of murder
  • Authorities are awaiting results of a post-mortem examination

London (CNN) -- Hans Kristian Rausing, the son of one of the world's wealthiest men, was arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of his American-born wife was found in their home this week, police confirmed Friday.

The 49-year-old was initially arrested Monday on drug charges and then "in connection with the death" of Eva Rausing, police said Tuesday.

The new details of his arrest emerged during the inquest into her death, which opened at Westminster Coroner's Court on Friday.

The Metropolitan Police said there is no murder inquiry yet and the death is still being treated as unexplained.

Authorities are awaiting the results of further post-mortem tests, which are not expected for several more days, police said.

An autopsy Tuesday failed to determine the cause of Eva Rausing's death, police said.

Detective Inspector Sharon Marman told the coroner that police had discovered the drugs when they searched Rausing's car after stopping him on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the UK's Press Association news agency reported.

They then searched his home address, a mansion in one of London's most expensive neighborhoods.

During that search, officers discovered the "apparently lifeless body of a female in one of the bedrooms," she said, according to the news agency.

The suspect has been arrested on suspicion of her murder, "and we await notification of when he will be fit to be interviewed," she said, quoted by the Press Association.

Police earlier this week declined to name Hans Kristian Rausing as the man who was arrested, but a source familiar with the investigation said the man in custody lived at the address where the body was found.

He is the son of Hans Rausing, who is worth an estimated $10 billion, thanks to the family's connection to Swedish packaging giant Tetra Laval.

CNN's Susannah Palk contributed to this report.

 
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