Riddle of John Travolta's son - could he have been saved?

The Mirror - UK January 3, 2009
Claims that Jett, 16, suffered from condition he was never treated for is denied by his devastated father.
EXCLUSIVE by Adrian Butler and Kate Mansey


The death of John Travolta’s son was shrouded in controversy last night amid claims that 16-year-old Jett suffered from a condition he was never treated for.

The youngster, who died after the star fought a desperate battle to save him with mouth-to-mouth and heart massage, had long been the subject of claims that he had autism – a condition which is not recognised by the Scientology religion pursued by Hollywood star John and his actress wife Kelly Preston.

Last night pathologists were preparing to carry out a post-mortem to determine the exact cause of Jett’s death after he suffered a seizure and fell on to a bath at the family’s holiday home in the Bahamas.

He was found in the bathroom by his male nanny, Jeff Kathrein, at 10am on Friday. John and Kelly, who were elsewhere in the house, were immediately alerted. Today the heartbroken couple will face a routine police quiz as detectives from the Bahamas Serious Crime Squad try to discover exactly what happened. Police confirmed he had a “history of seizures”.

The star’s lawyer Michael McDermott said last night: “John tried everything to bring his boy back. He took over the CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) from the nanny. Jett was not dead, there was a flicker of life and he exhaustively did all he could before paramedics arrived and continued the CPR. There was some breathing.”

But his efforts were in vain as Jett was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital in Freeport, the island’s capital. His parents accompanied him in the ambulance and were seen holding hands after the death was confirmed.

John then had to break the news to Jett’s little sister, eight-year-old Ella.

“She was unaware of what was going on,” Mr McDermott said. “No father should have to do something like that. It’s heart-wrenching. If you knew how much he loved that boy... you could just see it, you could feel it. The pain is unimaginable.”

Mr McDermott said nanny Jeff was sleeping “less than 8ft” from Jett’s bed in another part of the holiday home when the tragedy occurred. He said the room was fitted with a baby monitor and a chime over the bathroom door to alert him when Jett got up.

“Jeff is still very cut up over what has happened and I have not spoken to him, but everyone has told me Jett was never left alone. When he went to bed, so did Jeff. He was always watched.”

Mr McDermott said that Jett’s injury happened “very shortly” before he was found. He said there was blood on the floor and it appeared he died from the head injury rather than the seizure after hitting his head twice – on the bath tub and the wash basin.

Police said he was last seen alive on Thursday night when he went to use the bathroom. But Mr McDermott insisted he was constantly checked throughout the night.

He said: “Jett was accompanied by two nannies all the time. They slept on the ground floor of the house, while John and Kelly had the upstairs.”

The tragedy happened as 50 of the couple’s friends were flying in to spend the weekend at a New Year party.

Jett’s body will be flown to Ocala, Florida, where the Travoltas live, on Tuesday, for the funeral.

Last night a close friend of Joey Travolta, John’s film-maker brother, gave an insight into family divisions caused by the youngster’s illness.

The friend said Joey and John regularly argued about what was wrong with Jett. John did not believe it was autism, a condition not recognised by Scientology. Joey, 58, learned about the disorder when he interviewed 65 autistic youngsters for a documentary called Normal People Scare Me.

The idea of the film was to teach people about the syndrome, which can spark violent seizures. Joey also formed the group Actors for Autism which helps sufferers make films.

The friend said: “Joey could see Jett in every one of those 65 kids he spoke to. It was so obvious Jett was autistic just from spending five minutes with him, but the cruel fact of their religion meant his parents simply did not accept it.”

Scientologists believe mental illness is psychosomatic, that people who suffer from it are defective human beings, and teach that it should be treated through spiritual healing. They reject the use of drugs to treat mental conditions.

The friend said: “Parents who had children in the same classes as Jett would gather round after school and say, ‘Are they in denial or what?’”

John, 54, and Kelly, 46, have vehemently denied claims Jett had autism, but say he suffered from little-known Kawasaki Syndrome. They say he had a history of seizures which may have been caused by brain damage linked to Kawasaki. Some health experts say there is no link between Kawasaki and seizures, yet it is common for sufferers of autism to have fits if they go untreated.

Autism is often associated with epilepsy and in the US nearly half of autistic children are prescribed anti-convulsion drugs.

The pal said of Travolta’s brother: “Joey loves his family but there were a lot of disagreements about Jett’s treatment and what could be done. I can see Jett’s parents now will be facing a lot of soul-searching.

“I think his mum must have known deep down in her heart. I was told she put him on a detoxification diet which can help autistic children, but there is so much more that could have been done.”

About a third of people with autism develop epilepsy with many suffering seizures which begin in adolescence.

There are dozens of drugs designed to help.

Jett’s stated condition of Kawasaki is highly unlikely to have killed him or given him seizures, one expert said.

Sue Davidson from the UK Kawasaki Support Group said: “I’ve dealt with 1,200 children over 14 years and not one has suffered seizures. Where Kawasaki Syndrome is fatal is in cases where it has not been diagnosed.”

Autism expert Sean Rhodes said: “If a child with autism is not diagnosed it can be very dangerous. To ignore the work done in the past 60 years means vital warning signs can be missed.”

In 2006, Hollywood reporter Mark Ebner claimed autism charities, a major movie producer and a top actor had all confirmed Jett was autistic.

Then, last year, one of John’s neighbours claimed the star and his wife were not admitting their son’s condition.

Tim Kenning, who himself had an autistic daughter, said: “Scientology is keeping him from acknowledging his son’s autism. They see it as a weakness.”

The Travoltas were picketed by activists who demanded they go public about Jett’s condition for the sake of other parents of autistic children.

But their lawyer at the time rejected the suggestion that Jett was autistic, saying: “The Travoltas are wonderful, loving parents, and their priority is their children.

“They have taken and continue to take the best possible care of their children. To suggest anything to the contrary is very hurtful to a loving family and also would be false and defamatory.”

John named his son Jett after his love of flying. The movie star, who has five private planes, once said while other kids had sleep-overs in their back gardens, his son could hold one in a Boeing 707.

John has practised Scientology for 24 years and is one of the controversial religion’s best-known devotees.

Under rules set out by founder L. Ron Hubbard, mental illnesses and psychotherapy are not recognised.

Officers from the serious crimes section of the Grand Bahama Police Force are conducting the inquiry into Jett’s death because of its high-profile nature. His parents are likely to be interviewed.

A police source said: “They will be questioned purely as a matter of routine. We appreciate they are devastated but we have to establish exactly what happened.”

John Travolta’s career spans 40 years and he is worth an estimated £200million. He is best known for Saturday Night Fever, Grease and Pulp Fiction.

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