Florida authorities investigating the death of Full House star Bob Saget now suspect that he collapsed and struck his head against the marble floor in his hotel room bathroom, before regaining consciousness and stumbling into bed, where he was found dead more than 12 hours later.
Saget, 65, died of a brain bleed on January 9 in room 962 at the high-end Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande. His death was ruled an accident with no signs of foul play or drugs.
Investigators initially said they believed the stand-up comic sustained a fatal blow when he hit the back of his head against the bed’s headboard, despite medical experts saying that his injuries were so severe that they could have resulted from being bashed with a baseball bat, or falling 30 feet.
The actor suffered extensive injuries to his head and around his eyes, reported People Magazine.
Florida investigators say they now believe Bob Saget died after passing out in a hotel bathroom, falling and smashing the back of his head against the marble floor
This photo shows the white marble floor inside one of them rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande, where Saget was found dead on January 9
Cops initially claimed that Saget hit his head against the headboard, but experts said his injuries were severe enough to have resulted from being bashed with a baseball bat
According to surveillance video from the hotel, Saget was last seen alive entering his room on the ninth floor of the hotel at 2.17am on January 9, hanging a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the doorknob, and locking the door behind him.
No was was seen entering or exiting the room until about 4pm that afternoon, when hotel security arrived to find Saget dead on the bed.
More than a month later, investigators tell People they now believe that Saget blacked out in the hotel bathroom and fell backward onto the marble floor.
At some point, Saget allegedly came to and made his way to the bed, where he passed out a second time and died. His time of death was estimated to be around 4am.
Saget’s widow, Kelly Rizzo, and his three daughters filed the lawsuit last week in Orlando, Florida, asking the state judge for a ruling that would prohibit the release of any records from the local medical examiner’s office and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, including graphic videos and still photographs, involving the probe into Saget’s death.
This diagram shows all the injuries sustained by Saget, resulting in his death from a brain bleed
Saget’s widow, Kelly Rizzo (pictured), and his three daughters have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the release of any records from the medical examiner’s office related to his death
An autopsy report showed that Saget had an abrasion on his scalp, a fracture at the base of his skull, fractures around his eye sockets, bleeding between the brain and tissue covering the brain, as well as bruises to the brain. A toxicology analysis didn’t show any illicit drugs or toxins in Saget’s body.
Saget was also COVID-19 positive when he died, though it did not play a role in his death.
Best known for his role as beloved single dad Danny Tanner on the sitcom Full House and as the wisecracking host of America’s Funniest Home Videos,’ Saget 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.
‘I’m back in comedy like I was when I was 26. I guess I’m finding my new voice and loving every moment of it,’ he’d posted on Instagram.
A Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande employee recounted to People that at the time of his check-in on January 7, Saget appeared to be in high spirits and happily posed for pictures with fans.
‘He was a ball of happy, positive energy,’ the staffer described Saget, who would be found dead just two days later.
A private funeral was held for the entertainer in Los Angeles on January 14
