LOS ANGELES — Charges could be brought against multiple people in a federal investigation into who supplied ketamine to actor Matthew Perry before his death last year, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told NBC News on Wednesday.
In May, Los Angeles police said they were working with the Drug Enforcement Administration and conducting an “open investigation” into the source of Perry’s ketamine following his death at his home on October 28.
A law enforcement source said the federal investigation was ongoing and no immediate action would be taken. The news was first reported by People magazine.
Perry, 54, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on “Friends,” was found unconscious in his pool, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. The medical examiner’s office said he died from the acute effects of ketamine, including drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine, a synthetic opioid used to treat opioid use disorder.
The medical examiner’s report said Perry was open about his past drug use, but he had reportedly been sober for 19 months. He was reportedly receiving ketamine infusion therapy to treat depression and anxiety, and his last treatment was a week and a half before his death, the coroner said.
But the coroner said the level of ketamine in Perry’s body was still high, around the level used for general anesthesia during surgery. The coroner said it was unclear why the drug was still in his body, as it is metabolized within a matter of hours.
Los Angeles police are also investigating Perry’s death.
