'Amazing Race' producer poisoned in Uganda

• Tweet

KAMPALA, Uganda, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. producer Jeff Rice, who worked on TV's "The Amazing Race," was found dead in a Uganda hotel room, the victim of a suspected poisoning, his wife said.

His assistant, who police suspect was also poisoned, is hospitalized in a coma, Rice's widow Sally Blackman told FoxNews.com. Blackman did not disclose the assistant's name, but said she worked for Rice's Maverick Entertainment production company.

"They were not attacked but [evidence] points towards being poisoned," Blackman said. "[A]t this stage it is quite difficult to give you any firm reports as the incident is currently under investigation by the Uganda police."

The news channel cited an unnamed source as saying the pair were allegedly poisoned after they refused to give into the demands of local criminals. Blackman, however, declined to guess about what happened leading up to her husband's death.

"I would not like to speculate or even attempt to give my views on this as this may jeopardize the investigation going forward," she said.

Rice, a father of two young children, and his assistant were not working on "The Amazing Race" during their most recent time in Uganda, Blackman said. Rice lived in South Africa and worked on various film and TV projects around Africa.

Fox News said CBS, which airs "The Amazing Race," had no comment when asked about Rice's death.