Carrie Fisher's autopsy shows she had cocaine, heroin

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IANS Los Angeles
Last Updated : Jun 20 2017 | 12:42 PM IST

"Star Wars" actress Carrie Fisher had cocaine, methadone, heroin and ecstasy in her system when she died in December, according to an autopsy report.

The actress's autopsy report was released on Monday, reports variety.com.

The coroner's report listed sleep apnea as the primary cause of death, with drug intake as a contributing factor.

The report stated that Fisher's family objected to a full autopsy, and coroner's investigators had access to limited toxicology specimens. The conclusions were based on toxicology results and an external examination of Fisher's body.

Fisher died on December 27, four days after going into cardiac arrest on an airplane arriving at the airport here from London. Fisher's assistant was on the plane with her.

The assistant reported that she was awake and normal at the beginning of the flight, but had "multiple apneic episodes, which was her baseline" during the flight. At the end of the flight, she could not be awoken.

"Based on the available toxicological information, we cannot establish the significance of the multiple substances that were detected in Ms. Fisher's blood and tissue, with regard to the cause of death," the report states.

According to the report, Fisher may have ingested the cocaine as early as three days before the flight, adding to the uncertainty about the cause of death. The report also notes a likely exposure to heroin, which could have suppressed her breathing as she went into cardiac arrest.

In addition to the illegal drugs, Fisher was also taking Prozac, Abilify and Lamictal under prescription. She was also taking oxycodone without a prescription.

The report also notes that Fisher had a history of bipolar disorder and a long history of drug use.

--IANS

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First Published: Jun 20 2017 | 12:30 PM IST

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