Law Enforcement Announces Criminal Investigation Into Matthew Perry’s Death

Last October wrapped up with the shocking news of Matthew Perry’s death, which sent the internet, fans of Friends, and his co-stars, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, and Matt LeBlanc, into a spiral. He was found unconscious in his bathtub at his Pacific Palisades home in Los Angeles.

Perry died at 58, with the cause of his death revealed to be “acute effects of ketamine,” as well as drowning and coronary artery problems as secondary factors. He was reportedly affected by the use of buprenorphine for treating his opioid disorder. Six months later, the Los Angeles Police is revisiting the case and launching further investigation into the sitcom star’s death.

Criminal investigation into Matthew Perry’s death

Although Perry’s death was dismissed as accidental, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) are jointly revisiting the case to find out how he had such dangerous amounts of ketamine in his system before his death. The drug levels found in Perry’s body were as much as required for patients’ anesthesia during monitored surgery.

According to a source, the late actor was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy to treat his mental health issues and received his last known dose nearly two weeks before the unfortunate incidents. From the autopsy, medical examiners determined that he may have administered ketamine to himself. However, no needle marks to indicate infusion was ascertained.

Perry shared his battle with drug addiction in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, where he highlighted his journey from alcohol and substance dependency to rehab and even reflected on his time on set amid all of it. At the time he joined the cast of Friends at 24, he was only beginning to experiment until it became a habit through most of the ensuing decade.

The film star has some periods of sobriety and relapses, with circumstances surrounding his death pointing toward the latter; however, co-star Aniston clarified that “Matty” was “not struggling” before he died. “I want people to know he was really healthy, and getting healthy,” she told Variety last December. “He was on a pursuit. He worked so hard.”