Insurer Report Calls Maxwell Suicide Likely

Robert Maxwell probably committed suicide, according to a report for the companies that insured the late publisher’s life for $35 million, The Times of London reported Friday.

Rich Wheeler & Co., the loss adjuster in charge of investigating Maxwell’s November death for the insurers, came to the conclusion in a confidential report, the newspaper said. If true, such a conclusion could set off a long legal battle over the insurance money.

Maxwell disappeared from his private yacht off the Canary Islands on Nov. 5, and his body was found floating in the Atlantic Ocean hours later.

He left an international business empire with more than $4 billion in debts and allegations of financial improprieties. Maxwell’s holdings included the New York Daily News. The empire now is in the hands of court-appointed administrators.

The Times quoted the confidential report, dated Jan. 15, as saying the suicide scenario appeared “more compelling than any other cause” because Maxwell’s fraudulent efforts to keep his ailing empire afloat were about to be disclosed.