Paul Auster's son dies of overdose after being accused of his daughter's involuntary manslaughter
Daniel Auster, the son of novelist Paul Auster, died last Tuesday of an overdose, according to The New York Post on Thursday. The 44-year-old man was out on bail after being charged with the manslaughter of his 10-month-old daughter.
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On the afternoon of November 1, Auster was caring for her daughter Ruby when emergency crews responded to a call from her Brooklyn residence and found the baby unconscious. The girl's mother, Zuzan Smith, declared that everything was in order when she left home to go to work.
The little girl was rushed to New York Methodist Hospital, where she was pronounced dead and an autopsy concluded she died of an overdose of fentanyl and heroin, authorities said, although how she ingested the drugs could not be determined. Auster was arrested on April 15 and charged with involuntary manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.
The newspaper recalls that more than two decades ago the writer's son pleaded guilty to stealing $3,000 from a drug dealer. He had also worked unsteadily as a DJ and photographer.
Paul Auster, 2006 Prince of Asturias Award winner and author of works such as A Man in the Dark, The Book of Illusions, The New York Trilogy or Leviathan, declined to make any statements after the death of his granddaughter. He has also not commented on the death of Daniel, the first child he had with the author and translator Lydia Davis. Davis and Auster divorced in 1978. Four years later, Paul Auster married writer Siri Hustvedt, and she gave birth to their daughter, Sophie Auster, a 34-year-old singer and actress.
