Onassis’ Body Flown to Greece

The body of Greek heiress Christina Onassis was put on a flight to Greece today after a judge ruled that further study would not be necessary to determine the cause of death, the judge’s aides said.

Federal Judge Alberto Piotti authorized release of the body as a group of Onassis’ family and friends waited with the casket at Ezeiza International Airport. Aides to Piotti said authorization was granted because forensic experts said pre-autopsy evidence was sufficient to determine the cause of death, which a preliminary coroner’s report attributed to acute pulmonary edema, or accumulation of fluid in the lungs. Onassis’ housekeeper, Heleni Syros, was required to stay behind to help in the investigation of the death. Syros apparently was the first to discover Onassis’ body Saturday.