Police investigating the mysterious death of one of Britain's richest women have arrested a man reported to be her widower.
It is thought that Hans Kristian Rausing, the heir to the Tetra Pak drinks carton empire, is being held after the body of his spouse Eva was found at the couple's £70m London home in Cadogan Place, Chelsea.
The man believed to be Mr Rausing, who stands to inherit a billion pound fortune from his father's business, was taken into custody at a south London police station but has since been moved to a "medical facility" where he is receiving medical attention, police said.
Scotland Yard would not confirm the name of the suspect, but said a 49-year-old man was arrested in south London on Monday morning on suspicion of possession of drugs.
Hans Kristian Rausing and his wife Eva in 2003
Then, later that afternoon, officers conducted a search at an address in Cadogan Place where they discovered Mrs Rausing's body.
The man was then further arrested in connection with the mother-of-four's death. His bail has been suspended while he receives ongoing medical treatment, the force said, while security staff were called in to retrieve CCTV footage from the couple's home.
Police are treating the death of Mrs Rausing as "unexplained" and a post mortem held on Tuesday failed to establish a formal cause of death. Investigators said they are awaiting the results of further tests in the hope they will shed some light on the death riddle. Officers refused to comment on speculation that the Mr Rausing had suffered some form of mental breakdown.
A Met Police spokesman said: "Officers from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command are investigating, and the death continues to be treated at this time as unexplained."
Grieving relatives of the married couple, whose past drug problems have been widely reported, last night revealed their sorrow over the death.
A statement from the family of Mrs Rausing, whose maiden name was Kemeny, said: "Tom and Nancy Kemeny along with all of their family are deeply saddened by the death of their beloved daughter, Eva Louise Rausing.
"Eva was a devoted wife for 20 years and mother of four much-loved and wonderful children.
"During her short lifetime she made a huge philanthropic impact, supporting a large number of charitable causes, not only financially, but using her own personal experiences.
"She bravely fought her health issues for many years. The family is devastated at her death and asks to be given privacy at this difficult time."
In a statement issued from his Sussex estate, Mr Rausing's famously reclusive father, 86, also called Hans, said the family was "deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of their daughter-in-law" and also asked for their privacy to be respected.
Mr Rausing stands to inherit the £5.4bn business enterprise built by his Swedish father.
Mr Rausing, then 45, was charged with drugs offences after police found crack cocaine, cocaine and heroin during a search of his home.
After lengthy discussions between his legal team and prosecutors, he accepted a conditional police caution instead.
Neither Mr Rausing nor his wife, who also faced drugs charges, was present at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court that August to hear that the prosecution had ended.
Police outside the couple's home in Chelsea, London
The couple had been arrested in April of that year after Mrs Rausing was caught with drugs as she tried to enter the US Embassy in London.
Court documents revealed Mrs Rausing, then 44, was carrying about 10g of crack cocaine, 2.5g of heroin and 2.35g of diethylpropion, a banned stimulant and appetite suppressant.
A further drugs stash, 220mg of diazepam, used to treat anxiety, was also found in her Renault Clio car.
The couple's £5 million Georgian five-storey town house in Cadogan Place was subsequently searched.
Officers found 0.2oz (5.63g) of crack cocaine, 0.1oz (2.9g) of heroin and almost 1.8oz (52g) of cocaine.
The conditional cautions, administered by a senior local officer, meant the couple admitted possessing the drugs.
Mr Rausing's parents and siblings said then they were supporting the couple as they fought to overcome drug addiction.
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