Jackson autopsy results further delayed

Jul 31, 2009, 9:14 GMT

Michael Jackson autopsy results have been delayed indefinitely.

The Los Angeles County coroner's office announced the move yesterday (30.07.09), and it has been claimed the release has been postponed while police investigate the pop icon's death.

The Los Angeles Times newspaper reports: "Word of the delay followed a meeting between officials from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, the Los Angeles Police Department and the coroner's office to discuss progress in the case. Assistant Chief Ed Winter of the coroner's office said he could not say when the cause of death would be announced."

A law enforcement source has claimed the delay is not the result of problems with the toxicology report or questions over how the case is being handled.

Court records show police are currently investigating whether Jackson's personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray - who was with the 50-year-old singer when he died of a suspected cardiac arrest last month and gave him CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) - had contact with other people in the medical field.

Search warrants for the investigation into Murray's Las Vegas properties show officers were allowed to remove emails, letters and notes between the physician, Jackson's former dermatologist Dr. Arnold Klein, rheumatologist Allan Metzger, nurse practitioner Cherilyn Lee - who worked as Jackson's nutritionist earlier this year - dentist Mark Tadrissi, anaesthesiologist Randy Rosen and ear-nose-and-throat specialist David Slavit.

Concert promoter AEG Live - who were due to stage Jackson's 50 comeback shows in London - employed Slavit to perform a medical on Jackson ahead of the shows, to enable them to get insurance.

Jackson's link to Tadrissi is unknown, while he had reportedly been treated by Rosen in the past.

Klein, Metzger and Lee are believed to have been treating the singer in the period before his death.

Murray's office and lock-up in Houston, Texas, were searched last week, with his Las Vegas home being raided this week.

Police were looking for evidence "of the offence of manslaughter". Officers also seized medical records in relation to Jackson's reported use of aliases to get prescription drugs during the searches.

Although the events leading up to Jackson's death are unclear, it has been suggested his death was linked to the misuse of prescription drugs.

Police are also looking at claims he was taking powerful anaesthetic Propofol - also known as Diprivan - and that Murray injected him with it shortly before his passing.

It has been reported search warrants used to look through Murray's Las Vegas office referred to Jackson as an "addict".

The documents filed yesterday state police were looking for evidence of manslaughter, "prescribing to an addict", "excessive prescribing" and "unprofessional conduct".

The papers also showed officers were looking for anything relating to the "purchase, transfer, receiving, ordering, delivery and storage of Propofol".

Murray was questioned by police shortly after Jackson's death.

His lawyer Ed Chernoff has previously stated Murray did not give the singer anything which could have caused his death.

Meanwhile, it has been claimed that contrary to original reports, Jackson was not in his bedroom when he died.

Gossip website TMZ states: "The reports that Michael Jackson spent the last night in his bedroom are not true - we've learned Jackson spent his last hours in Dr. Conrad Murray's bedroom? in Dr. Murray's bed.

"Multiple law enforcement sources tell us Jackson did not want people going in and out of his room, so he used Dr. Murray's bedroom for his IV Propofol. We're told Dr. Murray administered the Propofol to Jackson hours before he died, while the singer lay in Murray's bed."