TWO police officers have been suspended after sharing news of Bob Saget’s death before his family had been notified.
The comedian was found dead on January 9 inside Room 962 at the Orlando Ritz-Carlton after suffering a “blunt-force trauma” to his head, hours after performing a stand-up show.
4
4
It’s now emerged Florida deputies Emiliano Silva and Steven Reed told friends and the family about his death before the comedian’s loved ones had been told.
They’ve both been suspended for more three days, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
Silva – who responded to the scene – is said to have told his brother about the death. His brother then tweeted: “RIP Bob Saget.”
The tweet was later deleted but not before it was seen by news outlets who began making media inquiries.
Reed – who was off-duty – reportedly told his neighbors of the death after they had attended his show.
He is reported to have written: “Better keep your tickets. Might’ve been his last show.”
Orange County Sheriff John Mina told The Hill: “This case highlights how important it is to allow detectives in death investigations the time to ensure next of kin notifications are made before that information is disseminated to the public.
“The deputies acknowledged their wrongdoing and were disciplined for their actions.”
Police entered the star’s room after he failed to check out at the scheduled time and the hotel received a call from his concerned family, who had been unable to reach him.
Saget was found unresponsive laying on his back in bed and was cold to the touch.
Most read in The Sun
Police in Orlando later released photos from inside the hotel room.
Photos show he may have used the bathroom before bed, as there was a towel in the bathtub and toiletries in the shower and on the counter.
Investigators said they found no signs of foul play, concluding Saget likely fell backward and hit his head somewhere in the room before dying in bed.
Toxicology analysis also did not reveal any illicit drugs or toxins in his system at his time of death.
Police noted that Saget’s room was “orderly”, with his personal possessions placed neatly on the nightstand, TV stand, closet, and in the bathroom.
There were no signs of blood or bodily fluids on the bedsheets, pillows, or elsewhere in the room, police wrote.
There were also reportedly no signs of trauma to Saget’s head or body, aside from slight swelling and a small bruise in the corner of his left eye.
In an autopsy report, Joshua Stephany, the Chief Medical Examiner at the District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office, said the nature of Saget’s injuries, combined with the fact that the skin on the back of his head remained intact, led him to believe his fatal injuries were most likely caused by “something hard, covered by something soft.”
Kevin Stone promoted what would prove to be Saget’s last ever stand-up performance.
He told The Sun the beloved comic was the “same old Bob” when saw him on the night of January 8, just hours before his death.
Stone, who previously promoted two other events of Saget’s in 2016 and in 2020, said there were “no indications” there was anything wrong with the Full House alumn, describing him as being talkative and engaging.
Stone said that in the hours preceding Saget’s final-ever show, he spent time in the greenroom of Jacksonville’s Ponte Vedra Concert Hall telling him about how much he loved his “friends, wife and family.”
Saget was best known for his portrayal of single dad Danny Tanner on the sitcom Full House, as well as the wisecracking host of America’s Funniest Home Videos.
He was on the road as part of his I Don’t Do Negative Comedy Tour and said just before his death that he enjoyed warm audience receptions in Orlando and the Ponte Vedra Beach resort area.
4
4
