22-5-2024 (LOS ANGELES) Homicide detectives and federal agents are investigating the circumstances surrounding the late Friends star Matthew Perry’s acquisition of the high dose of the potent anaesthetic ketamine that proved fatal, police have revealed.
The disclosure on Tuesday of an ongoing criminal probe by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the United States Postal Inspection Service comes five months after the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner concluded that Perry’s death on October 28, 2023, was an accidental overdose caused by the “acute effects of ketamine.”
The December 15 autopsy report determined that the 54-year-old actor lost consciousness and drowned in the hot tub at his Los Angeles residence due to the dangerously high levels of ketamine in his system – levels typically associated with general anaesthesia during surgical procedures.
“Based on the medical examiner’s findings, the LAPD, with the assistance of the DEA and the United States Postal Inspection Service, has continued its investigation into the circumstances of Mr Perry’s death,” the LAPD stated.
A police spokesperson confirmed that detectives from the LAPD’s robbery-homicide division are spearheading the investigation into how the actor obtained the fatal dose of ketamine, a short-acting anaesthetic with hallucinogenic properties.
Toxicology tests revealed that Perry, who had publicly battled addiction for decades, had ketamine, the opioid-addiction medication buprenorphine, and coronary artery disease contributing to his death, with drowning as the ultimate cause.
According to the autopsy report, Perry had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety, with his last known treatment over a week before his demise. However, the “exact method of intake” that led to the lethal ketamine levels remains unknown, and no needle marks were found on his body.
While witness interviews indicated Perry had been sober for 19 months leading up to his death, the burning question of how he acquired the fatal ketamine dose lingers, prompting the ongoing investigation by law enforcement authorities.
As the probe continues, a DEA spokesperson declined to comment, deferring media inquiries to the LAPD.
