The investigation into the ketamine supplied to actor Matthew Perry before his untimely death in October is nearing a close, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will soon have to decide whether it will result in charges against multiple people, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
The U.S. Attorney can send the case back to state prosecutors if state prosecutors don’t want to file federal charges.
Courteney Cox as Monica Geller and Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing in a scene from the TV series “Friends” in 2001.
NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
The investigation has been ongoing since Perry’s death and involves the LAPD, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the USPS, and the US Attorney’s Office. The inclusion of the USPS in the investigation could indicate that at some point drugs or payments were sent through the mail.
Perry died on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54, after being found unconscious in his jacuzzi. An autopsy revealed he died from the acute effects of ketamine.
Matthew Perry attends the premiere of “The Kennedys: After Camelot” on March 15, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California.
Jason Lavaris/FilmMagic via Getty Images
At autopsy, drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine were not considered to be related to the immediate cause of death. The manner of death was ruled an accident.
Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing in the TV series “Friends”.
John Reigel/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
The autopsy found Perry had high levels of ketamine in his blood, possibly causing him to lose consciousness and then go underwater.
Perry was best known for playing Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom “Friends,” which aired from 1994 to 2004.
