Prince Death Investigation Involves Federal Drug Authorities
Federal officials, including the U.S. law enforcement agency in charge of fighting drug use, have stepped into the inquiry into Prince‘s death, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are providing “resources and expertise” to local authorities, a spokesman for Minnesota’s Carver County Sheriff’s Office reportedly said. The DEA’s involvement was first reported last week by NBC, which cited unnamed officials.
Prince was found dead on April 21 at his Paisley Park estate in Chanhassen, Minnesota. He was 57. The nearby Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office completed an autopsy on April 22 but said gathering the results of toxicology tests could take weeks.
A report earlier today said Prince passed away a day before he was scheduled to get urgent treatment for addiction to painkillers. Prince representatives called doctor and opioid addiction specialist Howard Kornfeld the night of April 20 due to a “grave medical emergency,” a lawyer working with the Kornfeld family told the Star Tribune. The lawyer said Kornfeld couldn’t meet Prince on April 21 due to a scheduling conflict, but sent his son Andrew to see Prince then with plans to fly out himself on April 22. Andrew Kornfeld was one of three people at Paisley Park when Prince’s body was found, and he made the 911 call, the high-profile Minneapolis lawyer, William Mauzy, reportedly said.
In a short hearing in Carver County District Court on May 2, lawyers charged with handling Prince’s estate said they were still looking for a will, according to the AP. A judge previously named Bremer Trust, affiliated with a bank where Prince did business for years, as special administrator of the estate. Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson, had requested Bremer Trust be appointed, saying in a legal filing that her brother left no known will.
Support has poured out from across the musical community in the wake of Prince’s death.
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