Erica Blasberg

Erica Blasberg.

LAS VEGAS — The Clark County coroner's office ruled Tuesday that 25-year-old professional golfer Erica Blasberg's death was a suicide.
Blasberg died May 9 at her home in Henderson, about 15 miles southeast of the Las Vegas Strip. She was found with a plastic bag secured over her head.
Henderson police said that while no foul play is suspected they have issued a misdemeanor arrest warrant for Dr. Thomas Hess on obstruction charges. Police said Hess, who discovered Blasberg's body, removed items from the scene, including a suicide note.
The contents of the note haven't been disclosed.
Hess turned himself into authorities, was booked into jail and released about 35 minutes later, after posting $637 in bail Tuesday afternoon, Henderson police spokesman Keith Paul said.
David Mincavage, an assistant city attorney in Henderson, said the nonviolent misdemeanor charges against Hess carry a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.
Mincavage said he could not comment further on the case, and Paul declined to say whether additional charges were possible.
The coroner's office said Blasberg died of suicide due to asphyxia, coupled with the presence of toxic levels of prescription medication in her system, including prescription headache, cough, pain and anti-anxiety medications.
The drugs in Blasberg's system included butalbital, temazepam, alprazolam, codeine, hydrocodone, and tramadol, according to the coroner, but Nevada law doesn't permit the release of details on the amounts of medication.

"While asphyxia was the primary cause of death, the presence of prescription drugs in Ms. Blasberg's system was a significant factor," Coroner Michael Murphy said.
A 911 call from Hess that summoned police came from the house, and Blasberg was alone when officers arrived, police have said. Blasberg's agent said her bags were packed for a tournament in Mobile, Ala., when she was found.
The death investigation was complicated, police said, because Hess admitted altering the scene – including the removal of the note indicating Blasberg took her own life – and he stopped cooperating with detectives. Hess hid the note and prescription medications in his vehicle.
In a 911 call obtained from police by The Associated Press, Hess says he came to the house to check on her after she didn't leave for the tournament.
"I called her yesterday, she was supposed to be leaving for a golf tournament but she didn't," an agitated Hess said on the call. "She picked up the phone and she sounded intoxicated at that time."
Hess said Blasberg had consumed a "couple drinks" and was sad the night before her death, but didn't indicate she wanted to kill herself.
When asked by the female operator whether Blasberg was beyond resuscitation, Hess replied: "I'm a doctor."
But Hess didn't say he was Blasberg's doctor, instead saying he "knew her from the golf club."
When the operator told Hess she was sending police, she asked him to wait outside the house.
"Try not to touch anything," she said.
"Yes ma'am," he replied.
Calls from The Associated Press to Blasberg's father, Mel Blasberg, her agent Chase Callahan and Hess' lawyer Charles Kelly were not immediately returned.
The Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners in Reno said Hess' medical license is active and he has had no disciplinary action or pending complaints. He got his license to practice in Nevada in July 2003.
Blasberg grew up in Southern California, and was in her sixth season on the LPGA Tour.
She was a former junior golf standout, an All-American in 2003 and 2004. She was the 2003 NCAA Freshman of the Year and 2003 Pac-10 Player of the Year while at the University of Arizona.
She turned professional in June 2004, and won once on the Duramed FUTURES Tour before qualifying for the LPGA Tour in 2005.
Her best year on Tour was 2008, when she earned a career-best tie for eighth at the SBS Open in Hawaii and more than $113,000 in winnings, the LPGA said.
Blasberg played in one event this season, tying for 44th in the April 29-May 2 Tres Marias Championship in Morelia, Mexico.

Philippines Hostage

 Philippines Hostage.

The ethnic Chinese couple, a man of 72 and his 66-year-old wife, were among nine hostages the police inspector disgruntled over his sacking had allowed off the bus five hours after the hi-jacking began.

As darkness fell after nine hours of negotiations, the mood changed dramatically and Rolando Mendoza, 55, a highly-decorated police officer, began shooting the hostages and firing out at police snipers.

But as criticism by the Chinese government and Hong Kong authorities mounted over the handling of the police operation the Philippines new president Benigno Aquino promised a full inquiry.
The bloody denouement played out live on television showed ill-equipped and confused police teams surround the bus, but then take 70 minutes to gain entry.
The gunman was shot in the head by a police sniper after he wounded one policeman and teargas grenades were finally tossed into the vehicle.
By then eight of the hostages were dead in grim scenes that sparked sadness and outrage in Hong Kong, even though six other tourists miraculously escaped injury along with the Filipino driver.
Police admitted today that they had made blunders in efforts to end the hi-jacking by the former policeman trying to win his job back after he was dismissed on charges of robbery and extortion.
Manila police commander Leocadio Santiago: "We saw some obvious shortcomings in terms of capability and tactics used, or the procedure employed and we are now going to investigate this."
The lucky British couple, who have not been named, were among nine hostages released earlier as a gesture by the gunman. British embassy consular staff in Manila spoke to the couple who were unharmed and they spent the night in a hotel.
But China called for a “thorough investigation” into the bungled rescue mission which came after both Chinese and Hong Kong officials had urged that Philippines police not to use violence in resolving the stand-off.
China’s foreign minister Yang Jiechi was said to be “appalled” at the bloodshed and telephoned his Philippines counterpart Alberto Romulo to voice his concern about the incident, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
“The Chinese government demands the Philippine government launch a thorough investigation into the incident and inform the Chinese side of related details as soon as possible,” Mr Yang said, according to a statement released by the foreign ministry.
For his part, Mr Romulo said the Philippines government felt “deep sorrow” for the incident, pledging to everything possible to save the injured and promising to carry out a complete investigation into the incident and convey the results to the Chinese side as soon as possible.
Following the shootings, China has dispatched a team of officials to Manila to deal with the aftermath of the hijacking.
“China has requested the Philippine side to take pragmatic measures to ensure life and property safety of Chinese nationals in the country,” a foreign ministry spokesman added.
In Hong Kong, the leader of the Chinese territory, Donald Tsang, called the attack a tragedy, his voice choking in a rare display of emotion.
"It's disappointing that Hong Kong residents tried to make a pleasure trip to Manila and ended up with death and casualties,” he said. “This is very tragic. And the way it was handled and particularly the outcome I found it disappointing.”
In Hong Kong flags on government buildings flew at half-mast and a few Chinese-language newspapers changing their mast-head colour from red to black, their front pages dominated by graphic photographs of the bloodbath.
The government’s anger was reflected by the survivors. One said her husband and two daughters were killed in a hail of bullets while her son was in intensive care in hospital.
The woman, identified only as Mrs Leung expressed her anguish to Hong Kong officials in remarks broadcast on Cable News TV.
“The Philippine government . . . I can't accept this. Why did they do this to us?" she said, sobbing. “[The gunman] did not want to kill us. He only shot us after the negotiations failed.”