As The Inquisitr detailed yesterday, the body of Casey Kasem is missing , reports indicate, making what was a strange end of life tale and bizarre legal battle even odder.
Our post on Kasem’s body yesterday delved into many of the legal disputes and general mysteries surrounding the star’s unusual postmortem situation, which was in turn seemingly a result of the disputes surrounding his fate as his days drew to a close.
Kasem, who died in June on Father’s Day at the age of 82, was in poor health for some time before he passed away amid familial disagreement over his treatment.
The famed announcer had been diagnosed with the degenerative illness Lewy body syndrome, which can resemble Parkinson’s disease in sufferers. The condition robbed Kasem of his ability to speak, and the rift between his now-widow and three of his children deepened as their family dynamic became strained.
In May of this year, wife Jean removed Casey Kasem from the facility in which he was being treated to an undisclosed location, following months of prohibiting his adult children Mike, Julie, and Kerri Kasem from having any contact at all with their ailing dad.
Kerri Kasem was temporarily awarded conservatorship over her father in May, and the star was brought to a hospital in Washington State (where Jean had transported him) for treatment and measures to preserve his health. On June 15, 2014, Kasem died at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Gig Harbor, Washington.
Following Kasem’s death, the Kasem children alleged that Jean had “hastened” their father’s death and sought to conceal her actions in its wake. In our previous post, we quoted an attorney representing Kerri Kasem, who said that the three were satisfied that their efforts were worthwhile in a statement:
“Kerri, (her brother) Mike and Julie believe their efforts over the last month to take control of Casey’s healthcare were well worth it. And the times they spent with him over the last couple weeks were very healing for him and for them.”
Another quote from a source linked to the coroner’s office stated:
“Investigators are working with Adult Protective Services, and they want an unbiased autopsy they can rely on.”
However, what remains to be seen is whether such an aspect of the investigation is able to take place at all.
According to TMZ , Casey Kasem’s body remains missing, allegedly removed by the star’s widow Jean from a funeral home in violation of a judge’s order. The whereabouts of Kasem’s widow are not currently known either, and she may be out of the country.