what really happened to jeff rice?s work on cbs' "the amazing race" and animal planets, "whale wars." he was working on a documentary about a group. he was found bleeding through the mouth and nose. authorities tell cnn he died of either a cocaine overdoze or a deadly batch of the drug. those that knew him best have doubts. >> the jeff i knew was straight laced, family man, two beautiful daughters. i have known his four years and never known him to take drugs at all. that cocaine story seems false. >> reporter: the police report finding a plastic bag of whitish powder at the scene that incl e included heroin. his assistant could provide assistance. she's still in the hospital unable to speak. she, too, tested positive for cocaine. family and friends wonder if they could have stumbled on something someone wanted to keep quiet. sources tell abc news they may have been working on an investigative documentary and may have been targeted. tragically you left this world. only time will heal what you leave behind. tell the wor

jeff rice was found dead last week on the balcony of his hotel room.e say he died of an apparent cocaine overdose. his wife told fox news it points to him being poisoned. rice's assistance, a womaninate catherine fuller, was also found unconscious on the balcony next to rice. she's alive and recovering in a hospital, but is alive and not able to speak. so don't know what she's be able to tell us about what happened. was it a drug overdose or did someone poison rice? appreciate you coming in. what is your take on this story so far? this issue of a cocaine overdose. is this something that would fit with the man you knew? >> no, not at all. jeff rice was not a drug user. i worked with him as recently as december. for ten days, i never even saw him get drunk. he's an absolutely professional and works hard all the time. great family man. two beautiful kids. a lovely wife. he's not a habitual drug user. not somebody i've ever seen do drugs. in the four years i have known him. so none of this makes any sense to me. >> had you heard him talking about catherine

producer found dead in a hotel in uganda had large amounts of cocaine in his stomach. 39-year-old jeff riceound on friday night. his assistant was found in the same room unconscious. family members are suggesting that he was forced to inhale it. he once worked for "amazing race" and "whale wars." >>> whitney houston fans are upset by a cover on the national enquirer. it shows what appears to be the late singer lying in a gold casket. fans say even without verification the photo was shocking and disturbing. she died earlier this month at the beverly hills hilton. she was 48 years old. >>> a saudi arabian teenager who caused some scary moments on board a continental airlines flight from portland, oregon, to houston. passengers held him down and detained him after he started swinging his firsts at a flight attendant after he started shouting "allah is great." it returned to portland where the teenager was arrested. he was free on bail at the time after being arrested on sunday night for allegedly leading police on a chase, ramming two squad cars, and trying to run down a pedestrian. meanwhile

he was not hurt did she. >>> sununu accusations in the death of jeff rice. ho died trying to cover up his crimes. we told you earlier that rice was found dead in his hotel room with a large amount of cocaine in his stomach, leaving his family to believe that he was poisoned by some local thugs. the only problem is there wasn't any sign of a struggle either on rice's body or inside that room. one theory now is that rice swallowed all of those drugs thinking police were coming for him. rice's assistant also found in that room passed out cold. right now she's recovering in the hospital. but she's not talking. police say they'll keep her in the country until they decide whether to press any charges. >>> going to be an awful day to travel if you're going to the midwest or trying to get out of the midwest a. major snow storm slams the region. some areas in illinois expecting eight inches of snow. the storm moving south from canada, being called the saskatchewan screamer. major headaches are in store for air travelers, 200 flights to and out of o'hare in chicago can

jeff rice was found in his hotel room in uganda, with his assistant. apparently in a coma.e reports surrounding this range from this possibly be a botched robbery attempt, to a poisoning, even a drug overdose, one that might have been forced. jeff rice, 39 years old from oklahoma, had two production companies in south africa where he had lived for years with his wife and two daughters. he also worked on "whale wars" on animal planet and the south african version of "the biggest loser." a guy who his friends say adored travel, embraced culture, thrived on adventure. but what exactly happened to him in uganda, at his upscale hotel in the capital is pure mystery. his wife and others have said, thugs may have tried to rob rice and his production assistant, but instead, poisoned them? rice was found saturday in his hotel room. local reports say his assistant was there, unconscious, in critical condition. police now say white powder thought tobacco contain was also in the room. and uganda newspaper reports investigators that there was a large amount of cocaine in rice's stomach.

jeff rice was found dead in his hotel.n found with him. >>> maryland is set to become the eighth state to legalize gay marriage. opponents hope to get the issue reason to november ballot. >>> and finally, an unusual sight to say the least in san francisco. people running the aquarium there have decided to add pajama sharks to the popular penguins exhibit. >> pajama sharks? >> yes, i don't know why, george, by the way. i'm going to head you off at the pass. as odd as this pairing might seem, they say in the wild, these two species, penguin and pajama shark, get along. >> i wasn't going for the why. i just want to know what they are. >> they're tiny. >> and they're wearing flannel. >> the penguins are a threat to -- yes -- sam. what can i do for you? >> are they footie pajama sharks? do they have little feet and -- >> you ran back in for that? >> i did. just for that. >> now we have to vamp to get you back outside for that. gee, i don't know, sam, as news comes available, we'll have it for you. >> let's get to pop news. >> l

jeff rice was found dead, and an assistant remains hospitalized in a coma. live in our newsroom with more. >> reporter: the two were allegedby poisoned after a failed shakedown attempt by local thugs. jeff rice worked for reality shows, including the current season of the amazing race and whale wars. his grieving widow tells foxnews.com exclusively she believes he was poisoned, saying the following and i'm quote, -- quote, they were not attacked but evidence points towards being poisoned. at this stage it is quite difficult to give you any firm reports of the incident. it's currently under investigation by the uganda police. blackman says i would not like to speculate or give any views on this as this may jeopardize the investigation going on. rice's production company assistant also remains in a coma, she reneighbors critical condition and has not shown improvement yet. maverick is the production company. according to rice, rice loved the african people and his dream was to produce in all areas of africa. rice and the assistant were not currently working on

an autopsy revealing large quantities of cocaine in the stomach of "amazing race" producer, jeff rice. that's raising questions about a possible drug smuggling operation gone wrong. trace gallagher has the details. >> "the amazing race" follows teams of two around the world as they vie for a million dollars in prizes. rice was apparently on, hanging on to his balcony at his hotel, and by the authorities got up there, he was dead. and his production assistant inside the hotel room was in critical condition. they first thought he choked on food, but they figured they couldn't both choke, so the autopsy showed a large amount of cocaine inside his stomach. sources told foxnews.com the pair was forced to ingest the cocaine, but ugandan police say there was no sign the pair was attacked at all. drug experts say if they took an overdose of cocaine, there would not be a large amount of it in his stomach. it might be in the nasal packages and blood, but not in the stomach. jeff rice's wife gave this statement saying, quote: they were not attacked, but evidence points towards being poisoned. >>

. >>> 39-year-old jeff rice was found on friday night.is asus tangible was also found in the same room unconscious. family members are speculating the pair was forced to ingest the drug after a shakedown. he was from oklahoma. he wouns worked for shows "amazing race" and "whale wars." >>> counselors will be on hand to talk to students at an elementary school a day after an 8-year-old was shot in stocking a there. she's now in critical condition and one of her classmates is being questioned about the shooting. police are saying very little else about the incident but a 911 call from the school claims a student had been shot by another student. >>> two people are in serious but stable condition after a shooting at a hospital. police say the shooter was a hospital maintenance worker and opened fire on his supervisor after apparently being disciplined. he was found a short time later in his home. the hospital was on lockdown for a foul hours after that incident. >>> and an indiana state lawmakers is under fire for claiming that the girl scout

>> no, jeff rice was not a drug user. i worked with him as recently as december.en days, i never even saw h him get drunk. he's an absolutely professional and works hard all the time. great family man. two beautiful kids. a lovely wife. he's not a habitual drug user. not somebody i've ever seen do drugs. >> had you heard him talking about catherine fuller? did you know anything out her? >> i knew katie. she was his production coordinator. worked at his company. she was terrific. really energetic. very straight laced, very sweet girl, yeah. >> again, the question about cocaine involvement, is that something that would be inconsistent with katie, as you call her? >> i've worked with jeff now on two different shows, so i really don't want to speculate about katie. i didn't know her well, but she had worked for jeff for some time and jeff would never have somebody work for him that wasn't a true professional. >> and there's nothing strange in their relationship? >> not that i saw. as recently in december, i spent ten days with him in south africa. i said, jeff, i thin

nbc's michelle kosinski reports, new evidence is leading investigators down a new path. >> reporter: jeff riceing a life of adventure in africa. he helped produce the current season of "the amazing race" and worked on "whale wars" and "the biggest loser" but his life suddenly ended a week ago in the ugandan capital. he was there with his production assistant to prepare for a documentary. last saturday he was found on the balcony of his hotel room lifeless in a chair bleeding from his mouth and nose. fuller was on the floor next to him, unconscious, in critical condition. >> our suspicion was they could have been poisoned. but the report shows there was a problem with choking. >> reporter: poisoned or choked or accidently overdosed. that is what investigators are now leaning toward, saying there was zero sign of struggle, that both had cocaine in their systems, and an overdose is what caused rice's death. they say a bag of white powder in their room contained heroin, but police have also said there was a large amount of cocaine in rice's stomach, leading to questions whether the two might have

jeff rice was found dead in his hotel room in uganda about a week ago.s the producer for the show "the amazing race." tests reveal he died from asphyxiation. a private investigator says rice died from contaminated cocaine and that police arrested a man who admitted to selling him the drugs. rice and hist his assistant, katherine fuller were in uganda working on a documentary. she was found unconscious in the room but has recovered. >>> well, the man who tried to kill president reagan says he'd rather be known for his artistic talents. john hinckley says he is frustrated he's only known as a would-be assassin. according to court documents, he regrets not being able to show or sell his paintings or play his music for others. in 1981, hinckley opened fire on president reagan, wounding him in an attempt to impress actress jodie foster. he says he's angry that he can't change the public's perception of him. >>> a phone hacking scandal led to the shutdown of murdoch's old sunday edition newspaper. he watched this morning as the first copies of "sun on sunday"

earlier reports say jeff rice was poisoned after a run-in with locals.production assistant was found unconscious. police say they'll get more information when she recovers. they're investigating. they don't know what happened here exactly. still ahead, adele's grammy winning album is called "21," but it was just one special finger she gave to producers of an awards show that cut her off and ticked her off. we have the scoop on what she's saying now. first, there's a lot of things going on today. new jersey republican governor chris christie has said he's heard enough about billionaire an invest ser warren buffett wanting to give the government more money. he spoke about it bluntly. >> he should just write a check and shut up. really. okay? the fact of the matter is that i'm tired of hearing about it. if he wants to give the government more money, he's got the ability to write a check. go ahead and write it. >> and mitt romney's wife has joined the up and coming social network called pinterest. users add photos to a pin board. currently her page has sever

family members say jeff rice and one of his feel colleagues were poisoned after refusing to give up theirongings to gang members. his brother-in-law told msnbc his brother died friday night, his assistant is now hospitalized in a coma. >>> want to take you back now to washington, d.c. where we've been waiting for the president to speak this morning about the national museum of african-american history and culture. let's listen in. >> i remember having a conversation with him about this job. when he was planning to embark on the extraordinary journey. and we could not be prouder of the work that he has done to help make this day possible. i promise to do my part by being brief. as others have mentioned, this day has been a long time coming. the idea for a museum dedicated to african-americans was first put forward by black veterans of the civil war. and years later, the call was picked up by members of the civil rights generation. by men and women who knew how to fight for what was right and strive for what is just. this is their day. this is your day. it's an honor to be here to see the f

jeff rice worked on "the amazing race" and "whale watchers."ls fox news they apparently were poisoned after some of the local thugs tried to shake him down for money. not known what show rice was working on at the time of his death. he leaves behind a wife and two kids. >> brian: they go to crazy places. landmark gone in seconds. series of blasts brought down the 83-year-old fort suen bridge in ohio. yes, that was the right bridge. it was a primary link between ohio and west virginia. more than 150 pounds of explosives were used in the implosion. officials say the bridge was falling apart and needed to come down. we'll never know. >> steve: they stopped traffic first. right? >> brian: get your canoe and i'll meet you on the other side. >> steve: thank you. our colonel oliver north, combat decorate mad rein and best selling author now in somalia training the locals how to fight pirates. he joins us now from mogadishu with an update on the mission. good morning to you, sir. >> good morning, steve. just so i don't get fired, i'm not training them.

jeff rice worked for the amazing raiz race. filming a documentary when he was found dead on a balcony in africa. was he the victim of a drug overdose or a murder? >> reporter: he left the traffic of los angeles for a life of much more challenging travel in africa. instead, he's now dead. his colleague is in critical condition. friends are wondering if they were murdered. >> i don't ne what to think. i hear conflicting reports coming out of the region. >> reporter: rice and production assistant katherine fuller were in uganda last friday. police say a worker at a luxury hotel moetsed someone motionless on the balcony. they found rice dead and fuller in the room unconscious. >> at first, our investigations, we are trying to establish whether they have been poisoned by food or drink. >> reporter: they say they are now ruled out poisoning. testing found high levels of cocaine in rice's system. friends are skeptical. rice and fuller were working on an invest gaift documentary. they are concerned they were targeted. >> for him to pas

jeff rice was found dead in his hotel room, along with his production assistant that is reportedly thisa confrontation with a rival game. a newspaper there is saying a cocaine overdose was to blame. >>> here's diane with a preview of tonight's "world news." >>> so many jobs have moved overseas. some companies are bringing jobs back to america. we wanted to show you which ones and what it says about the future of the country. >>> let's take a quick look. spectacular image this morning. a solar eclipse. cool. and really, really hot. great, great, great image. >> how can you concentrate. the whole time, lara is doing this, talking into her microphone. getting prepared for pop news. >> i'm thinking you don't see me doing that. i'm talking to the control room. >> winston licking his shops. >>> let's get to pop news. good morning, everybody. you know how moms sometimes embarrass their kids. sort of hike robin did to me, as a sister. oscar producers are so hoping that that happened to george clooney when his mom talks to them. they've asked several mom-inees to come on and talk thasht kids for

but because a large amount of cocaine was found in jeff rice's stomach experts say it's unlikely thatore likely he a terks the cocaine. why would he eat it? catherine fuller is the best chance of solving the mystery. she is now recovering. she is not talking to authorities because she is unable to. but now they are saying she may not be able to go back to south africa because she tested positive for cocaine and therefore broke ugandan laws and when she gets out of the hospital may be placed tennessee custody. her father is trying to work it out so she can go back to south africa and get better treatment. abc nice reporting inside the hotel room they found heroin on top of the cocaine that was found in their stomachs. so the mystery thickens as to why all of this cocaine was in their system and it wasn't snorted, it wasn't taken apparently for recreational value. megyn: thank you, trace. rick santorum taking the gloves off reacting to some of mitt romney's attacks. he's not happy. he will join us live with what he says is an effort to set the record straight right here. plus a third gr

jeff rice and a second local facilitator were refused to be poisoned after refusing to give up theirsessions in an attempted robbery. he worked on the show's 20th season but wasn't working on it at the time of his death. the father of two worked on animal planet's "whale wars" and "the biggest loser south africa." >>> the president is singing the blues but if mick jagger stuck a microphone in your face you couldn't say "no" either, so he belted out an impromptu duet with b.b. king. take a listen. ♪ ♪ come on ♪ baby, don't you wanna go ♪ come on ♪ baby, don't you wanna go [ cheers ] ♪ sweet home chicago >> as you heard, that was "sweet home chicago." the president sent out a little hometown pride for the second city from the white house. i think they have an act. they should go on the road. now back to ann, carl and al. >> it takes a lot of chutzpah to sing in front of -- >> b.b. king. >> buddy guy. >> i like the look on michelle's voice like, oh, brother. >> there he goes again. >> looks like a remake of "the blues brothers" to me. jake and elwood. >> let's talk about the weather. am

the family of jeff rice is waiting to learn what killed him., other reports of poisoning. rice and his assistant were both found in a uganda hotel, the assistant is in critical condition but recovering from being in a coma. we'll keep you up to date thoon. >>> jurors will not hear from the father of an alabama woman who drowned in australia on her honeymoon, the judge ruling the testimony inadmissible against gabe watson, accused of killing his glief a judge sentencing a detroit man for two years probation for letting him #-year-old daughter drive him around while he was drunk. remember this, the father pleaded guilty to child abuse in allowing an unlistened minor to drive. jon: remember the good old days of relying on directions or old fashioned map to get around? well today many of us just punch the buttons on our gps device instead and while it's a great tool when you're lost, there are some serious new warnings about how the systems can be an ip mate -- manipulated by people who want to do us harm. john roberts live with that from atlanta.

bizarre new details in the death of "amazing race" producer jeff rice.nts of cocaine in his stomach suggesting he died of a self-inflicted overdose? but experts in the u.s. say not so fast. they say it's more likely rice was forced to ingest the cocaine, that theory going hand in hand with rice's wife's claim that he was poisoned by local thugs who tried to shake him down for money. >> he was acting like a jihadist on a plane but passengers say it turns out it was just a saudi teenager being an unruly jerk. the 19-year-old, that guy, causing a few terrifying moments on a continental airlines flight from portland to houston. he was tackled by passengers. cut by the flight crew after yelling "allah is great." praising usama bin laden and throwing bunches at everybody. it was started off being told to put out his electronic cigarette. he's charged with interfering with a flight crew and not terrorism. he led police on a chase a few days ago ramming cop cars and almost hitting someone. he was bailed out on bail. he should be banned from flight for life. >> h

my thanks to taylor lautner, adam levine, michael strahan, drew brees, jeff saturday, dwight freeney, tony gonzalez, jerry rice