Eight months after Matthew Perry's untimely demise, authorities are nearing the conclusion of their investigation, which is expected to lead to charges against multiple individuals. The "Friends" star's death was caused by the "acute effects of ketamine," according to the autopsy report.
Eight months after Matthew Perry's untimely death, authorities are nearing the conclusion of their investigation, which is expected to lead to charges against multiple individuals. The "Friends" star's death was caused by the "acute effects of ketamine," according to the autopsy report.
A source close to the investigation told People magazine that the U.S. Attorney's Office will make the call about whether to press charges. Perry's death investigation is "nearing its conclusion," the source said.
Matthew Perry's Death Investigation Nears Completion, Multiple Individuals May Face Charges
Perry died on October 28, 2022, at the age of 54, after an apparent drowning in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home in Los Angeles. The cause of death was determined to be "acute effects of ketamine," a dissociative anesthetic drug with established medical and surgical uses.
According to Perry's autopsy, trace amounts of ketamine were detected in his stomach contents. However, the exact method of intake is unknown. Other conditions that contributed to his death included heart disease and effects from buprenorphine, a prescription medication used to treat opioid addiction.
Matthew Perry's Death Investigation Nears Completion, Multiple Individuals May Face Charges
Prescription medications and loose pills were also found at Perry's residence, the autopsy report stated. Ketamine is a drug that can have serious side effects, including respiratory depression, cardiovascular collapse, and death.
Matthew Perry described using ketamine therapy in his memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing." Ketamine infusion therapy is sometimes used to treat depression and anxiety. Perry's last known treatment was more than a week prior to his death, but the medical examiner determined that the ketamine in his system at death could not have come from that infusion therapy, as ketamine's half-life is only 3 to 4 hours or less.
Matthew Perry's Death Investigation Nears Completion, Multiple Individuals May Face Charges
Los Angeles Police Department officials confirmed to Fox News Digital that the department is still actively working on the investigation. The U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment on the status of the investigation.
Last month, Los Angeles Police Capt. Scot Williams said in an email that the police department was working with the DEA and U.S. Postal Inspection Service to determine why Perry had so much ketamine in his system when he died in October, The Associated Press reported.
Matthew Perry's Death Investigation Nears Completion, Multiple Individuals May Face Charges
Perry was already deceased when first responders arrived at his residence and found an adult male unconscious in a stand-alone hot tub, according to Capt. Erik Scott. A bystander had brought the man's head above the water and gotten him to the edge, then firefighters removed him from the water.
Following a rapid medical assessment, it was determined that Perry was deceased prior to the arrival of first responders. The circumstances of his death are under investigation by the LAPD and the LA County Medical Examiner.
The case was moved to the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division due to the nature of the case. Perry, who was born in Massachusetts and raised in Canada, was 24 years old when he began portraying Chandler Bing on the sitcom "Friends." The show, which starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer, became one of the most-watched shows on television during its run from 1994 to 2004.
