Jan 4, 2009 2:30 pm US/Pacific
Travolta: 'We Are Heartbroken About Son's Death'
Bahamas Using 2 Experts For Jett Travolta's Autopsy On Monday
FREEPORT, Bahamas (AP) ―
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John Travolta's son Jett was pronounced dead on Jan. 2, 2009, after collapsing at the family's vacation home on Grand Bahama.
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John Travolta and his son, Jett.
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Kelly Preston and her children, Jett and Ella Bleu.
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A family doctor for John Travolta was observing the autopsy Monday of the actor's teenage son, who died unexpectedly in the family's Grand Bahama island vacation home.
Travolta received permission from the Bahamian government to have his physician attend the procedure, lawmaker Obie Wilchcombe told The Associated Press.
Authorities are trying to determine what caused the death of 16-year-old Jett, who had a history of seizures and was found unconscious in a bathroom Friday morning.
Two doctors, including a U.S.-certified pathologist, were expected to perform the autopsy.
Jett's body was expected to be taken to Grand Bahama's Restview Memorial Mortuary later Monday and would be transferred by Wednesday to Ocala, Florida, where the actor owns a home, Wilchcombe said.
Wilchcombe, a parliament member who represents part of Grand Bahama, said he was with the actor after his son was pronounced dead at a Freeport hospital Friday.
Travolta, 54, and his wife Kelly Preston, 46, have said that Jett became very sick when he was 2 years old and was diagnosed with Kawasaki Syndrome, an illness that leads to inflamed blood vessels in young children. Preston blamed household cleaners and fertilizers and said that a detoxification program based on teachings from the Church of Scientology helped improve his health, according to People magazine.
"We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives," Travolta and Preston said Sunday in their first public statement since Jett's death.
A police statement said that Jett had not been seen since Thursday when a nanny, Jeff Kathrain, found him unconscious late Friday morning.
But Michael McDermott, an attorney for the actor, said police wrongly left the impression that Jett was unsupervised. He said two nannies were with Jett throughout the evening, and he does not believe the teen was in the bathroom for a long time.
About a dozen security guards and Bahamian police officers patrolled around the luxury Old Bahama Bay resort community Sunday where Travolta and Preston remained inside their home. The white-sand beach in front of the suites was closed.
The couple also have an 8-year-old daughter, Ella Bleu.
Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham sent condolences to the Travolta family and said the autopsy is a formality the country requires in cases of sudden death to rule out foul play.
"We look forward to them being able to have the autopsy today and for the coroner to be able to make a decision so the body can be released," Ingraham told reporters.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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