14 DAY TRIAL // The other day, several media outlets uncovered that Larry King’s wife Shawn Southwick King had overdosed on prescription drugs about two weeks ago. Her father found her unconscious in her home and dialed 911 and, on the tape, he can be heard saying his daughter wouldn’t take her own life. Yet this is precisely what she attempted, police believe as per People magazine.
Though on the 911 call, Shawn’s father clearly says that his daughter would not have been suicidal but rather just confused over which medication she did take and which she didn’t, police say what looks like a suicide letter was found near her body. Moreover, she’d taken so many pills the floor was literally strewn with empty containers, further pointing to that she may have wanted to end her own life. According to reports, Shawn has a history of painkillers addiction and has been battling anxiety and depression for a while now.
“Larry King didn’t mince words. This is a ‘difficult time,’ he says. He loves his wife ‘dearly’ and he’s certain they’ll get through this ‘intact as a family.’ His statement comes amid a report from police that his wife, Shawn Southwick King, was found unconscious two weeks ago in a Provo, Utah, home, with empty pill bottles strewn on her bed in a possible suicide attempt. Southwick, 50, who has a history of painkiller addiction, was recently involved in divorce proceedings with King, 67, but they reconciled a week later. She was discovered May 28 by her father, Karl Engemann, who dialed 911,” People informs.
The police report seems to confirm this was a suicide attempt. “Police arrived to find notes that indicated Southwick ‘might hurt herself, such as that she wished to be buried in Utah,’ according to an officer’s report. ‘Wording on the letter led me to believe that [Southwick] had intentionally taken the quantity of pills,’ the report says, adding Southwick’s father told investigators that Southwick is ‘always depressed, but she had not mentioned... that she would want to hurt herself or take her own life.’ Bottles for prescription medication Compro, Prometrium, Clonazepam, Ambien, Klonopin, Subutex, Cymbala and Lyrica were found on her bed, purse, and in the bathroom, with many of the pill bottles empty, the police report reads,” People further says.
Following the incident, Shawn was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but her state right now is unknown. Calls to her publicist have not been returned, and Larry King only issued a statement to say that reports his wife’s OD was due to a fight they had only hours before were false.