The drug was “self-administered”, the coroner wrote, and the death was ruled an accident.
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The one-page report gives no indication of how Prince obtained the drug.
On Thursday, however, medical examiner A Quinn Strobl released the office’s assessment of Prince’s cause of death: “self-administered fentanyl”, a powerful opioid.
The report from the medical examiner’s office, which was also released on Twitter, however failed to provide much detail.
The report from the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office was released on Twitter.
The legendary singer died from an accidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl, a medical examiner concluded. The drug has many legitimate uses, but is tightly controlled because of its risks. A pain reliever usually used for terminally ill patients, it is also produced in underground labs for sale as a street drug.
More than a year ago, in March 2015, the CDC issued a nationwide alert classifying fentanyl as a significant “threat to public health and safety”, especially for public health workers, first responders and law enforcement personnel. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reports that the drug is 50- to 100-times more potent than morphine.
The autopsy was conducted the day after Prince’s body was found. When his body was examined, he was 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighed 112 pounds and was dressed nearly entirely in black. He has no link to Prince. There was also no clarity on whether or not the singer had a will. In the case that he didn’t, the state (of Minnesota) will determine how the estate is divided. Prince’s bodyguard had to carry him off of the plane.
It’s still unknown where Prince got the drug, which is said to be up to 50 times more powerful than heroin.
Mauzy said at the press conference that Andrew was the person who called 911 to report a medical emergency at Paisley Park.
“It’s not something that is very commonly prescribed except for very severe pain”, Kolodner says.
The same offense can mean third-degree murder charges in Minnesota and up to 25 years in prison.
Carver County Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud said Thursday that he has “no idea what the time frame is” for completing that investigation.
In the weeks leading up to his death, the music sensation met with a Minneapolis-area family physician, Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg, on April 7 and April 20.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Prince was scheduled to meet with an addiction specialist doctor on April 22 and that the world famous artist had been abusing painkillers leading up to his death.
A northern California doctor who specializes in addiction treatment and pain management, Howard Kornfeld has championed the use of buprenorphine, a drug similar to methadone that often is used to treat opiate addiction.
Mauzy has refused to identify that doctor. Investigators then need to discuss if the level of drugs was toxic enough to have played a role in the death or if it was typical for someone taking medication.
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On his way home after performing in Atlanta on April 15, Prince’s plane made an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois and he was taken to a hospital.
