New Details Emerge in Prince’s Death Investigation

While rumors continue to swirl around exactly how music legend Prince, born Prince Rogers Nelson, died, CNN is reporting that police investigators found opioid prescription drugs in his possession and inside his Minnesota home.

CNN notes that the drugs found on the late singer are commonly used to treat pain, but the exact name of the drug has not been released. Carver County, Minn., investigators have brought in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to assist in the investigation should the prescription drugs be linked to the singer’s death.

ABC News reports that the DEA is not actively working the case because the toxicology report has not been completed and could take several weeks.

Officials who spoke with CNN said they believe that days before his death, Prince’s plane scare, which resulted in an emergency landing in Moline, Ill., was most likely caused by a reaction to pain medication.

“The pilot told air traffic control that a passenger, later known to be Prince, was unresponsive,” CNN reports. He was transported to a local hospital where he was treated and then released. He returned home and was reported to be in good health, said his publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure. On April 21, the singer was found unresponsive in the elevator of his Paisley Park studio. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy the next day but a cause of death has yet to be determined.

“As part of a complete exam, relevant information regarding Mr. Nelson’s medical and social history will be gathered,” the medical examiner’s office said last week, ABC reports. “Anything which could be relevant to the investigation will be taken into consideration.”

Read more at CNN and ABC News.

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