A photo of actor David Carradine appeared in a Thailand tabloid called “Thai Rath,” showing the actor as he was found Thursday. The death photo, which shows the actor hanging in the Bangkok hotel room closet, has caused a stir of international outrage. Given the sensationalized nature of David Carradine’s death, the hanging photo has also become the focus of those attempting to gauge for themselves whether the stories of suicide, murder, and auto-erotic asphyxiation have any merit. But the manner of death is not just a cause for worldwide curiosity. It is also important to the family — for closure, for grieving, for memorializing, and for insurance purposes.
Actor Keith Carradine, David’s brother, released a statement that encompassed the death photo: “The family wants it understood that, per attorney Mark Geragos, any persons, publications or media outlets will be fully prosecuted for invasion of privacy and causing severe emotional distress if the photos are published.”
With the warning out there, it remains to be seen if the family will gain a bit of future privacy. It also remains to be seen if the family will pursue legal redress for the already published photo of David Carradine’s death and how laws in Thailand and international law might allow the Carradine family to address the situation.
At the same time the family deals with the legendary actor’s death, they also have other pressing considerations, such as finding the true cause of death. A second autopsy has been ordered, according to TMZ.com, to determine cause of death. The second autopsy becomes important for insurance purposes.
Most insurance policies do not pay in cases of suicide. If a second autopsy can determine that David Carradine died due to auto-erotic asphyxiation and ruled an accident, then the voided policy issue will not matter. Also, many life insurance policies pay double when death is determined to be accidental.
Photos of the death scene become extremely important in the determination of cause of death. Photos taken at a hopefully undisturbed crime scene can tell an entirely different story than they one that appears on the surface in the heat of the moment of discovery. Objects and their placement, body position and attitude, and other aspects of a death scene can point to a very different conclusion than a simple suicide or murder. Photo evidence, when added to other information and data gathered, can be invaluable.
But “leaked” photos (the tabloid death photo of David Carradine hanging in the hotel closet is believed to have been taken by a member of the forensics team) do nothing but bring embarrassment and humiliation to a family searching for answers and the truth behind the death of a loved family member. The decision to publish the hanging photo illuminates a lack of self-regulatory discretion and taste sorely needed in many modern publications.
