Deciding who gets Anna Nicole Smith's body became more urgent as the Broward County, Fla., medical examiner said her body was decaying faster than expected.

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During a conference call with Broward County Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin, medical examiner Joshua Perper said Smith's body was decomposing faster than expected and should be visible for viewing no later than Saturday, the Miami Herald reported Wednesday.

Seidlin has been taking testimony since late last week over who should receive Smith's body and what her burial wishes were. The phone conference took place Tuesday.

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Smith's companion, Howard K. Stern testified that Smith wanted to be buried in the Bahamas next to her son, Daniel, who died in her hospital room in September.

Virgie Arthur, Smith's estranged mother, wants custody of the body so it can be buried in Texas, where Smith was born.

Perper performed the autopsy on Smith, who died Feb. 8 in a Florida hotel room of unknown causes. Her body has been in the morgue since.

Smith's 2001 will made public last week did not include burial directives.