It is still unclear how the 'Million Dollar Bill' singer acquired the drugs found in her system, and whether traces of cocaine were indeed removed from her hotel room.
- Mar 24, 2012
AceShowbiz - The Los Angeles County Department of Coroner has made public the official cause of Whitney Houston's death, but authorities are not yet done with the investigation. Lt. Mark Rosen of the Beverly Hills Police Department informed the press that the case is still active until the final coroner's report is completed.
With questions on how the "I Will Always Love You" hitmaker got her hands on the drugs found in her system, and whether traces of cocaine were indeed removed from her hotel room still up in the air, Rosen told PEOPLE, "It's still an open investigation for us." He further noted, "I can't disclose any details about the investigation."
Los Angeles Times, in the meantime, reported that coroner's officials do not have immediate plans to further investigate Houston's death. The publication additionally noted that the officials stressed that the pop icon's death has been ruled an accident and the case will be officially closed as soon as the final report is delivered in the next several weeks.
Houston passed away on February 11. She was found underwater and unconscious in bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, just hours before she's set to attend Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy party. On March 22, it was announced that she died of accidental drowning with atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use being the contributing factors.
Coroner chief Craig Harvey noted, "According to our tests, the level of cocaine was not necessarily a lethal level of cocaine." The toxicology tests also showed traces of marijuana, the anti-anxiety drug Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril and the allergy medicine Benadryl, but they did not contribute to her death.
The coroner's office report suggested that Houston took the cocaine "immediately prior to her collapse." Police, however, found no traces of cocaine or any other illegal substance when they arrived. According to TMZ, an individual thought to be Houston's drug dealer cleaned up her hotel room from all traces of cocaine before paramedics arrived, removing items that included bed sheets.
