In breaking news today, reports are rolling in that Jeff Rice – a producer of “The Amazing Race” and an avid adventurer – was found dead in a Uganda hotel room in the capital city of Kampala. First accounts of the incident reveal that Jeff Rice, 39, and his female production assistant, Ms Catherine Fuller, were poisoned by local gang members after refusing to submit to a “shakedown” for valuables.
Rice was usually the front man for setting up The Amazing Race activities throughout Africa, and at the time of the incident, he and his assistant were working on some of the African destinations for this year’s Amazing Race, season #20.
Rice and Fuller were initially believed to have died from choking, however further investigation revealed that a massive amount of illicit drug was present. Authorities had also discovered some of the drug in the hotel room.
While Rice’s widow believes that the evidence points to an intentional poisoning by local African gang members, the local authorities discount that claim.
Rice's Wife Says Evidence Points to Poisoning
Jeff Rice's widow, Sally Blackman, told reporters that Rice and his assistant had developed problems with local natives during their recent activities, and evidence surrounding the deaths points toward poisoning.
She told reporters:
"[At] this stage it is quite difficult to give you any firm reports as the incident is currently under investigation by the Uganda police."
Rice died from the poisoning, but his female assistant was still alive and is in a coma at a Ugandan hospital. If the assistant manages to recover from the incident, she may be able to shed light on the incident and who might have poisoned them.
Authorities in Uganda are investigating the incident and the evidence uncovered in the hotel room where Jeff Rice died.
The Investigation Reveals Presence of Cocaine
Authorities have already carried out an autopsy on Jeff Rice's body, which revealed that the producer died of a "suspected cocaine overdose."
In an effort to explore the true story behind the death, Top Secret Writers performed a preliminary search for a history of drug use or drug problems for Rice, but that search turned up empty. Furthermore, illicit drug use would not explain why both Rice and Fuller overdosed, and why so much of the drug was used.
Mr. Asuman Mugenyi, a spokesman for the local police, told reporters that the autopsy revealed that Rice had - for whatever reason - taken an overdose of a drug believed to be cocaine.
"Results from the analytical laboratory indicate that there was an overdose of cocaine. There was too much concentration in the stomach."
While Fuller was in a coma following the incident, authorities report that her health is finally improving and that a statement from the assistant producer should be forthcoming.
Adding to the mystery, police say that a hotel worker found Rice hanging on a balcony. That is what prompted the worker to enter the hotel room, where he also found Fuller lying on the floor. Fuller was still breathing, but Rice was already dead.
Authorities thought that the couple had choked from food, but the fact that the pair had both died forced authorities to perform the autopsy on Rice's body to see what the couple had ingested.
While Rice's widow has been telling reporters that the couple was poisoned by local gang members, the authorities discount those allegations.
A True Adventurer - "The Real Deal"
Regardless of the actual cause of death, friends and colleagues around the world are reacting to the news of Jeff Rice's death this week. He and his wife were both successful producers, running their own company called SB Productions which has produced films in South Africa since 1999.
Rice is survived by his wife and two daughters, aged 7 and 2.
One of the most well known efforts of the company was Rice's own work for CBS as a facilitator in South Africa for the Amazing Race filming crew.
Rice had a successful career as a producer, working on other well-known shows such as "Whale Wars" and "The Biggest Loser South Africa".
According to his bio on the SB Productions website, Jeff was an avid adventurer - more comfortable doing business out in the wilderness than stuck in an office.
"If Jeff isn't crunching budgets or breaking down scripts, he can probably be found in some unusual African location with his PowerBook and a bottle of the local brew."
A friend of Rice and SyFy host Josh Gates, who had worked on "Destination Truth" with Jeff Rice, immediately issued Tweets with photos of Rice, and commenting about his friend, "You were, quite simply, the real deal. I'll never forget you."
Jeff Rice's work in Africa is an inspiration to adventurers and film makers around the world. His efforts brought other cultures and other lands to the TV screen, where people across the world could experience Jeff's perspective of the world.
It is a perspective, and a man, that will be greatly missed, as friends, colleagues and fans around the world mourn his passing.
References & Image Credits:
(1) NY Daily News
(2) Monitor
(3) Josh Gates Twitter Feed
Ryan Dube is editor-in-chief of TSW and an electrical engineer in the automation industry. He spends his time investigating declassified government documents, legends and conspiracy theories. Ryan has 374 post(s) at Top Secret Writers
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