Spending the day side-by-side, Jake Gyllenhaal and girlfriend Reese Witherspoon were spotted out shopping on Melrose Avenue on Tuesday afternoon (January 6).
Looking to be having a marvelous time, the “Prince of Persia” hunk and her “Legally Blonde” babe smiled as they made their way into the Ralph Lauren shop to browse the clothier’s offerings.
This small central Florida town is about as far from Hollywood as you can get. Maybe that’s why actor John Travolta moved his family here.
The town square features a fondue restaurant, the social scene revolves around ranchers’ soirees and horse riding is one of the main pastimes. Mobile home parks, peanut farms and moss-covered oak trees dot the landscape. There is little pretension or glitz.
Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston seem to fit in: They appeared on the cover of this month’s Ocala Style magazine with big smiles, wearing jeans and sweaters.
Now, with the death of their 16-year-old son Jett, this is where they have come to grieve. On Monday night - four days after Jett was found unconscious in the family’s vacation home in the Bahamas - Travolta and Preston flew back to Ocala.
The city is welcoming them quietly and respectfully.
Mayor Randy Ewers said the city sent the Travolta family condolences and would give them space and privacy.
“They’re fantastic people, really family oriented,” Ewers said. “We want to respect their privacy as much as possible.”
Doctors in the Bahamas performed an autopsy on Jett on Monday but did not release results. A Bahamas undertaker said the teen’s death certificate had “seizure” as the cause of death. The teen had a history of seizures; his body was cremated Monday and flown to the U.S. the same night.
A memorial service for Jett will be held Thursday for family and close friends in Ocala, his publicist said.
The Travoltas, who have been together since 1991, bought their unusual $8 million property in Ocala in 2003. The reason had nothing to do with the area’s famed thoroughbred horse farms: Travolta, an avid pilot, was looking for a home where he could fly his many planes, including a Boeing 707 airliner, right to his front door.
The estate, located in a subdivision that boasts the largest private residential runway in the country, was featured on the cover of Architectural Digest in 2004. The style was inspired by Morris Lapidus, the architect of the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright and Eero Saarinen, designer of Washington Dulles International Airport.
“If I can look out the bedroom and see the planes, I am happy,” Travolta told The Associated Press last year.
His eldest son, Jett, and daughter, Ella, played happily around the mid-century compound.
“We’ve got a big pool, a slide and a golf course,” Preston told Architectural Digest. “We’re a family who likes to play a lot.”
And although that family traveled often for work - Travolta’s latest movie, “Bolt,” in which he does the voice for an animated dog, was just released - they also spent time in Ocala and the even smaller village of Anthony, which is right down the street from their home.
“I love rubbing elbows with life and real people,” Travolta, 54, once told the local newspaper, the Star-Banner. “I don’t like living in ivory towers. I want to enjoy life the way everybody else does.”
“He’s just, I don’t know, a normal person,” said Barbara Pound, a waitress at the Saddle Rack Cafe. She served him his favorite breakfast - a $6.49 western omelet - on a handful of occasions. “Nobody bothers him here. We let him have his peace.”
Travolta once brought his son into the cafe and the boy “wouldn’t stop smiling,” said manager Jackie Gomillion.
Others have spotted Travolta and his family cruising around in his classic Thunderbird or just shopping at the Gap in the local mall. Twice, Travolta hosted charity fundraisers around movie premieres at the local movie theater in Ocala where thousands of local fans showed up.
Brent Johnson of Ocala once saw him at the gym at 5:30 a.m.
“I thought to myself, I’m not going to harass him, but he came up to me and said, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’” Johnson said. “He asked about my kids and family. I think there’s a sense of pride here in Ocala that someone like that would want to live here.”
This small central Florida town is about as far from Hollywood as you can get. Maybe that’s why actor John Travolta moved his family here.
The town square features a fondue restaurant, the social scene revolves around ranchers’ soirees and horse riding is one of the main pastimes. Mobile home parks, peanut farms and moss-covered oak trees dot the landscape. There is little pretension or glitz.
Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston seem to fit in: They appeared on the cover of this month’s Ocala Style magazine with big smiles, wearing jeans and sweaters.
Now, with the death of their 16-year-old son Jett, this is where they have come to grieve. On Monday night - four days after Jett was found unconscious in the family’s vacation home in the Bahamas - Travolta and Preston flew back to Ocala.
The city is welcoming them quietly and respectfully.
Mayor Randy Ewers said the city sent the Travolta family condolences and would give them space and privacy.
“They’re fantastic people, really family oriented,” Ewers said. “We want to respect their privacy as much as possible.”
Doctors in the Bahamas performed an autopsy on Jett on Monday but did not release results. A Bahamas undertaker said the teen’s death certificate had “seizure” as the cause of death. The teen had a history of seizures; his body was cremated Monday and flown to the U.S. the same night.
A memorial service for Jett will be held Thursday for family and close friends in Ocala, his publicist said.
The Travoltas, who have been together since 1991, bought their unusual $8 million property in Ocala in 2003. The reason had nothing to do with the area’s famed thoroughbred horse farms: Travolta, an avid pilot, was looking for a home where he could fly his many planes, including a Boeing 707 airliner, right to his front door.
The estate, located in a subdivision that boasts the largest private residential runway in the country, was featured on the cover of Architectural Digest in 2004. The style was inspired by Morris Lapidus, the architect of the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright and Eero Saarinen, designer of Washington Dulles International Airport.
“If I can look out the bedroom and see the planes, I am happy,” Travolta told The Associated Press last year.
His eldest son, Jett, and daughter, Ella, played happily around the mid-century compound.
“We’ve got a big pool, a slide and a golf course,” Preston told Architectural Digest. “We’re a family who likes to play a lot.”
And although that family traveled often for work - Travolta’s latest movie, “Bolt,” in which he does the voice for an animated dog, was just released - they also spent time in Ocala and the even smaller village of Anthony, which is right down the street from their home.
“I love rubbing elbows with life and real people,” Travolta, 54, once told the local newspaper, the Star-Banner. “I don’t like living in ivory towers. I want to enjoy life the way everybody else does.”
“He’s just, I don’t know, a normal person,” said Barbara Pound, a waitress at the Saddle Rack Cafe. She served him his favorite breakfast - a $6.49 western omelet - on a handful of occasions. “Nobody bothers him here. We let him have his peace.”
Travolta once brought his son into the cafe and the boy “wouldn’t stop smiling,” said manager Jackie Gomillion.
Others have spotted Travolta and his family cruising around in his classic Thunderbird or just shopping at the Gap in the local mall. Twice, Travolta hosted charity fundraisers around movie premieres at the local movie theater in Ocala where thousands of local fans showed up.
Brent Johnson of Ocala once saw him at the gym at 5:30 a.m.
“I thought to myself, I’m not going to harass him, but he came up to me and said, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’” Johnson said. “He asked about my kids and family. I think there’s a sense of pride here in Ocala that someone like that would want to live here.”
This small central Florida town is about as far from Hollywood as you can get. Maybe that’s why actor John Travolta moved his family here.
The town square features a fondue restaurant, the social scene revolves around ranchers’ soirees and horse riding is one of the main pastimes. Mobile home parks, peanut farms and moss-covered oak trees dot the landscape. There is little pretension or glitz.
Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston seem to fit in: They appeared on the cover of this month’s Ocala Style magazine with big smiles, wearing jeans and sweaters.
Now, with the death of their 16-year-old son Jett, this is where they have come to grieve. On Monday night - four days after Jett was found unconscious in the family’s vacation home in the Bahamas - Travolta and Preston flew back to Ocala.
The city is welcoming them quietly and respectfully.
Mayor Randy Ewers said the city sent the Travolta family condolences and would give them space and privacy.
“They’re fantastic people, really family oriented,” Ewers said. “We want to respect their privacy as much as possible.”
Doctors in the Bahamas performed an autopsy on Jett on Monday but did not release results. A Bahamas undertaker said the teen’s death certificate had “seizure” as the cause of death. The teen had a history of seizures; his body was cremated Monday and flown to the U.S. the same night.
A memorial service for Jett will be held Thursday for family and close friends in Ocala, his publicist said.
The Travoltas, who have been together since 1991, bought their unusual $8 million property in Ocala in 2003. The reason had nothing to do with the area’s famed thoroughbred horse farms: Travolta, an avid pilot, was looking for a home where he could fly his many planes, including a Boeing 707 airliner, right to his front door.
The estate, located in a subdivision that boasts the largest private residential runway in the country, was featured on the cover of Architectural Digest in 2004. The style was inspired by Morris Lapidus, the architect of the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright and Eero Saarinen, designer of Washington Dulles International Airport.
“If I can look out the bedroom and see the planes, I am happy,” Travolta told The Associated Press last year.
His eldest son, Jett, and daughter, Ella, played happily around the mid-century compound.
“We’ve got a big pool, a slide and a golf course,” Preston told Architectural Digest. “We’re a family who likes to play a lot.”
And although that family traveled often for work - Travolta’s latest movie, “Bolt,” in which he does the voice for an animated dog, was just released - they also spent time in Ocala and the even smaller village of Anthony, which is right down the street from their home.
“I love rubbing elbows with life and real people,” Travolta, 54, once told the local newspaper, the Star-Banner. “I don’t like living in ivory towers. I want to enjoy life the way everybody else does.”
“He’s just, I don’t know, a normal person,” said Barbara Pound, a waitress at the Saddle Rack Cafe. She served him his favorite breakfast - a $6.49 western omelet - on a handful of occasions. “Nobody bothers him here. We let him have his peace.”
Travolta once brought his son into the cafe and the boy “wouldn’t stop smiling,” said manager Jackie Gomillion.
Others have spotted Travolta and his family cruising around in his classic Thunderbird or just shopping at the Gap in the local mall. Twice, Travolta hosted charity fundraisers around movie premieres at the local movie theater in Ocala where thousands of local fans showed up.
Brent Johnson of Ocala once saw him at the gym at 5:30 a.m.
“I thought to myself, I’m not going to harass him, but he came up to me and said, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’” Johnson said. “He asked about my kids and family. I think there’s a sense of pride here in Ocala that someone like that would want to live here.”
This small central Florida town is about as far from Hollywood as you can get. Maybe that’s why actor John Travolta moved his family here.
The town square features a fondue restaurant, the social scene revolves around ranchers’ soirees and horse riding is one of the main pastimes. Mobile home parks, peanut farms and moss-covered oak trees dot the landscape. There is little pretension or glitz.
Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston seem to fit in: They appeared on the cover of this month’s Ocala Style magazine with big smiles, wearing jeans and sweaters.
Now, with the death of their 16-year-old son Jett, this is where they have come to grieve. On Monday night - four days after Jett was found unconscious in the family’s vacation home in the Bahamas - Travolta and Preston flew back to Ocala.
The city is welcoming them quietly and respectfully.
Mayor Randy Ewers said the city sent the Travolta family condolences and would give them space and privacy.
“They’re fantastic people, really family oriented,” Ewers said. “We want to respect their privacy as much as possible.”
Doctors in the Bahamas performed an autopsy on Jett on Monday but did not release results. A Bahamas undertaker said the teen’s death certificate had “seizure” as the cause of death. The teen had a history of seizures; his body was cremated Monday and flown to the U.S. the same night.
A memorial service for Jett will be held Thursday for family and close friends in Ocala, his publicist said.
The Travoltas, who have been together since 1991, bought their unusual $8 million property in Ocala in 2003. The reason had nothing to do with the area’s famed thoroughbred horse farms: Travolta, an avid pilot, was looking for a home where he could fly his many planes, including a Boeing 707 airliner, right to his front door.
The estate, located in a subdivision that boasts the largest private residential runway in the country, was featured on the cover of Architectural Digest in 2004. The style was inspired by Morris Lapidus, the architect of the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright and Eero Saarinen, designer of Washington Dulles International Airport.
“If I can look out the bedroom and see the planes, I am happy,” Travolta told The Associated Press last year.
His eldest son, Jett, and daughter, Ella, played happily around the mid-century compound.
“We’ve got a big pool, a slide and a golf course,” Preston told Architectural Digest. “We’re a family who likes to play a lot.”
And although that family traveled often for work - Travolta’s latest movie, “Bolt,” in which he does the voice for an animated dog, was just released - they also spent time in Ocala and the even smaller village of Anthony, which is right down the street from their home.
“I love rubbing elbows with life and real people,” Travolta, 54, once told the local newspaper, the Star-Banner. “I don’t like living in ivory towers. I want to enjoy life the way everybody else does.”
“He’s just, I don’t know, a normal person,” said Barbara Pound, a waitress at the Saddle Rack Cafe. She served him his favorite breakfast - a $6.49 western omelet - on a handful of occasions. “Nobody bothers him here. We let him have his peace.”
Travolta once brought his son into the cafe and the boy “wouldn’t stop smiling,” said manager Jackie Gomillion.
Others have spotted Travolta and his family cruising around in his classic Thunderbird or just shopping at the Gap in the local mall. Twice, Travolta hosted charity fundraisers around movie premieres at the local movie theater in Ocala where thousands of local fans showed up.
Brent Johnson of Ocala once saw him at the gym at 5:30 a.m.
“I thought to myself, I’m not going to harass him, but he came up to me and said, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’” Johnson said. “He asked about my kids and family. I think there’s a sense of pride here in Ocala that someone like that would want to live here.”
Stepping out for dinner with a few gal pals, Hilary Duff was spotted arriving at Katsu-Ya restaurant in Hollywood on Monday night (January 5).
Trying to hide her face as she entered the popular eatery, the “Cheaper By the Dozen” actress wrapped up with a scarf and sweater as she braved the chilly weather for the top-notch Japanese cuisine.
Grief-stricken John Travolta spoke for the first time Sunday about the sudden death of his 16-year-old son Jett, saying his family is “heartbroken.”
“Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for,” the actor said in a statement. “We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives,” he wrote.
His tribute came as the star opened his family photo album to show touching images with his son - pictures that reflected how deeply Travolta, his wife, Kelly Preston, and Jett’s 8-year-old sister Ella Bleu cared for the teenager.
Travolta’s statement did not comment on a possible cause of death or his son’s medical history.
Lawyer and close friend Michael McDermott revealed that Jett for years had suffered from “frequent and extremely serious” grand mal seizures.
Jett was found on the bathroom floor of the family’s posh condo at the Grand Bahama Resort on Friday. Authorities believe he died of a head injury after suffering a seizure and falling. An autopsy is scheduled for today at Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport.
“Each seizure was like a death,” McDermott told celebrity Web site TMZ.com. Jett lost consciousness and went into convulsions about four days a week when he was unmedicated, he said.
Jett took Depakote, an anti-seizure and mood-stabilizing medication, for several years until it apparently lost its effectiveness. The Travoltas had also become concerned about the drug’s possible side effects, which include liver damage, McDermott said, and took him off Depakote some time ago.
There has long been speculation that Jett suffered from autism, but the Travoltas have maintained his health problems were a result of Kawasaki disease, a rare inflammatory ailment affecting the blood vessels that most often occurs in early childhood.
Advocates for autistic kids, including other Hollywood stars, have accused Travolta, a Scientologist, of denying his son’s condition because it would have required Jett to see a psychiatrist, which his religion forbids.
Jett was under 24-hour supervision and audited with a baby monitor, McDermott said. There were chimes on his bathroom door at the condo to alert his nannies when he woke up in the night.
Doctors say that 30% of adolescents with autism also suffer from epilepsy - the clinical name for frequent seizures - and that parents need to be aware of the risks.
“It’s very important for people to know that if you have a child with autism that the child is at higher risk for seizures, and you need to monitor it closely,” said Dr. Geri Dawson, chief scientist at Autism Speaks, a research and advocacy organization. Dawson cited a recent study that showed death among autistic teens is double that of others their age because of seizures.
Dr. Isabelle Rapin, an autism and epilepsy expert at Albert Einstein Medical Center in the Bronx, said Depakote is very useful for seizures. Its most common side effects are weight gain and drowsiness. Liver damage is rare, she said.
Meanwhile, the Travoltas and Bahamian police were at odds over when exactly Jett died. The Travolta camp maintains that Jett suffered the fatal fall Friday morning, before his nanny, Jeff Kathrein, found him on the floor, but investigators say it happened the night before.
“The police left the impression that the boy was unsupervised,” said McDermott. “There were two nannies with him for the entire evening.
“They made it seem like he was sent to the condo and nobody checked in on him until the next morning,” he said.
Police officials stood by their time line Sunday, telling TMZ.com the Travoltas were too traumatized to understand the truth.
(source)
Grief-stricken John Travolta spoke for the first time Sunday about the sudden death of his 16-year-old son Jett, saying his family is “heartbroken.”
“Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for,” the actor said in a statement. “We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives,” he wrote.
His tribute came as the star opened his family photo album to show touching images with his son - pictures that reflected how deeply Travolta, his wife, Kelly Preston, and Jett’s 8-year-old sister Ella Bleu cared for the teenager.
Travolta’s statement did not comment on a possible cause of death or his son’s medical history.
Lawyer and close friend Michael McDermott revealed that Jett for years had suffered from “frequent and extremely serious” grand mal seizures.
Jett was found on the bathroom floor of the family’s posh condo at the Grand Bahama Resort on Friday. Authorities believe he died of a head injury after suffering a seizure and falling. An autopsy is scheduled for today at Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport.
“Each seizure was like a death,” McDermott told celebrity Web site TMZ.com. Jett lost consciousness and went into convulsions about four days a week when he was unmedicated, he said.
Jett took Depakote, an anti-seizure and mood-stabilizing medication, for several years until it apparently lost its effectiveness. The Travoltas had also become concerned about the drug’s possible side effects, which include liver damage, McDermott said, and took him off Depakote some time ago.
There has long been speculation that Jett suffered from autism, but the Travoltas have maintained his health problems were a result of Kawasaki disease, a rare inflammatory ailment affecting the blood vessels that most often occurs in early childhood.
Advocates for autistic kids, including other Hollywood stars, have accused Travolta, a Scientologist, of denying his son’s condition because it would have required Jett to see a psychiatrist, which his religion forbids.
Jett was under 24-hour supervision and audited with a baby monitor, McDermott said. There were chimes on his bathroom door at the condo to alert his nannies when he woke up in the night.
Doctors say that 30% of adolescents with autism also suffer from epilepsy - the clinical name for frequent seizures - and that parents need to be aware of the risks.
“It’s very important for people to know that if you have a child with autism that the child is at higher risk for seizures, and you need to monitor it closely,” said Dr. Geri Dawson, chief scientist at Autism Speaks, a research and advocacy organization. Dawson cited a recent study that showed death among autistic teens is double that of others their age because of seizures.
Dr. Isabelle Rapin, an autism and epilepsy expert at Albert Einstein Medical Center in the Bronx, said Depakote is very useful for seizures. Its most common side effects are weight gain and drowsiness. Liver damage is rare, she said.
Meanwhile, the Travoltas and Bahamian police were at odds over when exactly Jett died. The Travolta camp maintains that Jett suffered the fatal fall Friday morning, before his nanny, Jeff Kathrein, found him on the floor, but investigators say it happened the night before.
“The police left the impression that the boy was unsupervised,” said McDermott. “There were two nannies with him for the entire evening.
“They made it seem like he was sent to the condo and nobody checked in on him until the next morning,” he said.
Police officials stood by their time line Sunday, telling TMZ.com the Travoltas were too traumatized to understand the truth.
(source)
Grief-stricken John Travolta spoke for the first time Sunday about the sudden death of his 16-year-old son Jett, saying his family is “heartbroken.”
“Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for,” the actor said in a statement. “We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives,” he wrote.
His tribute came as the star opened his family photo album to show touching images with his son - pictures that reflected how deeply Travolta, his wife, Kelly Preston, and Jett’s 8-year-old sister Ella Bleu cared for the teenager.
Travolta’s statement did not comment on a possible cause of death or his son’s medical history.
Lawyer and close friend Michael McDermott revealed that Jett for years had suffered from “frequent and extremely serious” grand mal seizures.
Jett was found on the bathroom floor of the family’s posh condo at the Grand Bahama Resort on Friday. Authorities believe he died of a head injury after suffering a seizure and falling. An autopsy is scheduled for today at Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport.
“Each seizure was like a death,” McDermott told celebrity Web site TMZ.com. Jett lost consciousness and went into convulsions about four days a week when he was unmedicated, he said.
Jett took Depakote, an anti-seizure and mood-stabilizing medication, for several years until it apparently lost its effectiveness. The Travoltas had also become concerned about the drug’s possible side effects, which include liver damage, McDermott said, and took him off Depakote some time ago.
There has long been speculation that Jett suffered from autism, but the Travoltas have maintained his health problems were a result of Kawasaki disease, a rare inflammatory ailment affecting the blood vessels that most often occurs in early childhood.
Advocates for autistic kids, including other Hollywood stars, have accused Travolta, a Scientologist, of denying his son’s condition because it would have required Jett to see a psychiatrist, which his religion forbids.
Jett was under 24-hour supervision and audited with a baby monitor, McDermott said. There were chimes on his bathroom door at the condo to alert his nannies when he woke up in the night.
Doctors say that 30% of adolescents with autism also suffer from epilepsy - the clinical name for frequent seizures - and that parents need to be aware of the risks.
“It’s very important for people to know that if you have a child with autism that the child is at higher risk for seizures, and you need to monitor it closely,” said Dr. Geri Dawson, chief scientist at Autism Speaks, a research and advocacy organization. Dawson cited a recent study that showed death among autistic teens is double that of others their age because of seizures.
Dr. Isabelle Rapin, an autism and epilepsy expert at Albert Einstein Medical Center in the Bronx, said Depakote is very useful for seizures. Its most common side effects are weight gain and drowsiness. Liver damage is rare, she said.
Meanwhile, the Travoltas and Bahamian police were at odds over when exactly Jett died. The Travolta camp maintains that Jett suffered the fatal fall Friday morning, before his nanny, Jeff Kathrein, found him on the floor, but investigators say it happened the night before.
“The police left the impression that the boy was unsupervised,” said McDermott. “There were two nannies with him for the entire evening.
“They made it seem like he was sent to the condo and nobody checked in on him until the next morning,” he said.
Police officials stood by their time line Sunday, telling TMZ.com the Travoltas were too traumatized to understand the truth.
(source)
Grief-stricken John Travolta spoke for the first time Sunday about the sudden death of his 16-year-old son Jett, saying his family is “heartbroken.”
“Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for,” the actor said in a statement. “We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives,” he wrote.
His tribute came as the star opened his family photo album to show touching images with his son - pictures that reflected how deeply Travolta, his wife, Kelly Preston, and Jett’s 8-year-old sister Ella Bleu cared for the teenager.
Travolta’s statement did not comment on a possible cause of death or his son’s medical history.
Lawyer and close friend Michael McDermott revealed that Jett for years had suffered from “frequent and extremely serious” grand mal seizures.
Jett was found on the bathroom floor of the family’s posh condo at the Grand Bahama Resort on Friday. Authorities believe he died of a head injury after suffering a seizure and falling. An autopsy is scheduled for today at Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport.
“Each seizure was like a death,” McDermott told celebrity Web site TMZ.com. Jett lost consciousness and went into convulsions about four days a week when he was unmedicated, he said.
Jett took Depakote, an anti-seizure and mood-stabilizing medication, for several years until it apparently lost its effectiveness. The Travoltas had also become concerned about the drug’s possible side effects, which include liver damage, McDermott said, and took him off Depakote some time ago.
There has long been speculation that Jett suffered from autism, but the Travoltas have maintained his health problems were a result of Kawasaki disease, a rare inflammatory ailment affecting the blood vessels that most often occurs in early childhood.
Advocates for autistic kids, including other Hollywood stars, have accused Travolta, a Scientologist, of denying his son’s condition because it would have required Jett to see a psychiatrist, which his religion forbids.
Jett was under 24-hour supervision and audited with a baby monitor, McDermott said. There were chimes on his bathroom door at the condo to alert his nannies when he woke up in the night.
Doctors say that 30% of adolescents with autism also suffer from epilepsy - the clinical name for frequent seizures - and that parents need to be aware of the risks.
“It’s very important for people to know that if you have a child with autism that the child is at higher risk for seizures, and you need to monitor it closely,” said Dr. Geri Dawson, chief scientist at Autism Speaks, a research and advocacy organization. Dawson cited a recent study that showed death among autistic teens is double that of others their age because of seizures.
Dr. Isabelle Rapin, an autism and epilepsy expert at Albert Einstein Medical Center in the Bronx, said Depakote is very useful for seizures. Its most common side effects are weight gain and drowsiness. Liver damage is rare, she said.
Meanwhile, the Travoltas and Bahamian police were at odds over when exactly Jett died. The Travolta camp maintains that Jett suffered the fatal fall Friday morning, before his nanny, Jeff Kathrein, found him on the floor, but investigators say it happened the night before.
“The police left the impression that the boy was unsupervised,” said McDermott. “There were two nannies with him for the entire evening.
“They made it seem like he was sent to the condo and nobody checked in on him until the next morning,” he said.
Police officials stood by their time line Sunday, telling TMZ.com the Travoltas were too traumatized to understand the truth.
(source)