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Heir To Billions Charged With Preventing Wife's Burial, Not Murder

Hans Kristian Rausing as he arrived at court earlier today.
Facundo Arrizabalaga
/
EPA /Landov
Hans Kristian Rausing as he arrived at court earlier today.

Though he had been arrested on suspicion of murder, the son of a Swedish billionaire has only been charged with "preventing the lawful and decent burial of the body of his wife," The Guardian reports.

We've been following the reports from London about the death of 48-year-old American Eva Rausing and the charges against her husband, Hans Kristian Rausing, 49. As one of our earlier headlines underscores, it's a sad story: "Heir To Billions May Have Lived With Wife's Body For Days In Britain."

Eva Rausing in 2008.
Jeff Moore / PA Photos /Landov
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PA Photos /Landov
Eva Rausing in 2008.

The couple had struggled with drug addiction for years, according to many reports in the British media. Hans Kristian Rausing is an heir to the fortune amassed by his father Hans Rausing Sr., who founded Tetra Pak-- a manufacturer of food and drinks packaging products.

Eva Rausing was found dead on July 9. Authorities went to the couple's home after her husband was stopped on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. "Police are treating the death of Mrs Rausing as 'unexplained,' and a post-mortem examination held last week failed to establish a formal cause of death," the BBC says.

Today, some gruesome details were revealed, as Sky News writes:

"The body of the millionairess was found at their home in bin bags sealed up with gaffer tape, West London Magistrates' Court has been told. Police discovered her remains at the couple's mansion in the capital after Rausing was stopped by police on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

"A warrant was issued to search his home in Belgravia. The court heard Mrs Rausing's body was in a bedroom which had also been sealed with gaffer tape."

Rausing has been granted "conditional bail" that requires him to live at a London hospital where he's being treated, Sky News adds.

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Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.