TetraPak heir questioned after wife found dead

Eva Rausing's home in west London. Photo / Getty

One of the world's richest men was being questioned by British police about the mysterious death of his wife.

Hours after Hans Kristian Rausing was arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs, his wife Eva's body was found in a bedroom at their $136 million west London home.

The 49 year-old father of four, an heir to the $8.7 billion Tetra Pak drinks carton fortune, was being questioned in connection with what Scotland Yard called an "unexplained death".

Police said Hans Rausing remained under arrest but had been taken to hospital for medical treatment.

Officials refused to discuss why but the news prompted speculation that he had suffered some kind of breakdown. Earlier, security staff were called in to help download CCTV cameras from the Chelsea mansion and surrounding area.

A post mortem examination was carried out overnight on 48-year-old Mrs Rausing, but failed to find the cause of death. Further toxicology tests will take place to determine whether drugs or alcohol were responsible.

Her husband of almost 20 years was arrested on suspicion of driving erratically in South London at lunchtime on Monday (local time) and was found to be carrying Class A drugs.

Officers searched his home to see if more illicit substances were there, and found his wife's body.

Specialist police teams carried out tests throughout the day at the six-storey house.

Details of their son's arrest and daughter-in-law's death were broken to 86-year-old Hans Rausing and his wife Marit at their 900-acre East Sussex estate. They issued a statement saying they were "deeply shocked and saddened".

Eva Rausing's father Tom Kemeny is a former Pepsi executive who owns an island off South Carolina and a property in Barbados with his wife Nancy. The couple also have a $20m property near their late daughter's home in west London.

They said of their daughter: "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."

Within hours of the discovery of the body, police seized security CCTV footage from inside and outside the property and a mews at the rear.

In addition to their London property, the couple had an 11-bedroom beachside mansion in Barbados and an apartment on The World, a cruise ship for passengers who need to be off shore for tax-avoidance purposes.

- Daily Mail