Matthew Perry
Credit: Reuters Photo
Authorities in Los Angeles have made an arrest as part of their investigation into the death of Matthew Perry, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
The person, who was granted anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said that more details, including the name of the person arrested, would be released at a news conference in Los Angeles on Thursday morning.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office said in an autopsy report released in December that Perry had died of “acute effects of ketamine.” The actor, who gained sitcom superstardom as Chandler Bing on the show “Friends,” was discovered “floating face down” in the heated end of a pool at his home in Los Angeles.
Ketamine, a powerful anesthetic with psychedelic properties, is increasingly being used as an alternative therapy for depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. It is also used, and abused, recreationally.
The police in Los Angeles acknowledged this year that they were working with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to investigate the source of Perry’s ketamine and whether it was obtained legally. A spokesperson for the US Postal Inspection Service said it was assisting with the investigation.
The autopsy report said that Perry had been on ketamine infusion therapy, but it determined that the ketamine in his system could not have been from his last known therapy session, about a week and a half before he died. The autopsy said the level of ketamine found in Perry’s blood was equivalent to the amount that would be used during general anesthesia.
Perry had a history of drug and alcohol addiction, which he wrote about in a memoir.
The medical examiner’s office said that drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine, which is used to treat drug addiction and for pain, had contributed to his death.