Report: Multiple people could be charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s death

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) — Authorities are nearing completion of the criminal investigation into the death of Matthew Perry and believe several people may be connected to his death, according to multiple reports.

Law enforcement sources recently told PEOPLE magazine, NBC News and ABC News that a federal investigation into who supplied the “Friends” actor with ketamine before his death could lead to charges against multiple people. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.

PEOPLE reported that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will ultimately decide whether or not to file charges. Nexstar’s KTLA has reached out to the Attorney General’s Office about the case but has not provided comment.

KTLA also contacted the Department of Justice, but it did not immediately respond.

The case could reportedly go back to prosecutors if no federal charges are filed.

Perry was found unconscious in his Pacific Palisades home on October 28, 2023. After an autopsy, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office announced in December that he died from the “acute effects of ketamine.”

Just last month, law enforcement officials announced they were launching a criminal investigation into how Perry obtained and consumed so much of the substance. The Los Angeles Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspectorate are trying to determine who gave Perry ketamine.

“Traces of ketamine were detected in the stomach contents,” the autopsy report states. “He was reportedly receiving ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety.”

According to the report, Perry’s last known treatment was a week and a half before his death, and the ketamine that was in his system at the time of his death “could not have come from this infusion therapy because the half-life of ketamine is three to four hours or less.”

According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, ketamine is a “dissociative anesthetic with some hallucinogenic effects.” It is often considered a “club drug,” popular among teens and young adults at raves and EDM concerts.

The report also found that factors contributing to Perry’s death included “drowning, coronary heart disease and the effects of buprenorphine.”

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, “Buprenorphine is the first medication to treat opioid use disorder that can be prescribed or dispensed in physicians’ offices, significantly improving access to treatment.”

The cause of death was stated to be an accident (due to drugs or drowning); no signs of foul play were suspected.

“Drowning is a contributing factor as he likely submerged himself in the pool when he became unconscious; coronary artery disease is a contributing factor as the myocardial effects caused by ketamine were exacerbated on the heart,” the report continued. “The effects of buprenorphine are listed as contributing, although not at toxic levels as with high levels of ketamine the respiratory effects are additive. Autopsy shows no fatal blunt or penetrating trauma.”

For most of his life, Perry spoke openly about his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction.

After his death, his relatives founded the Matthew Perry Foundation, whose goal is to help people fighting their drug and alcohol addiction.

“The Matthew Perry Foundation is the realization of Matthew’s ongoing commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction,” the website’s mission statement reads. “It will honor his legacy and be guided by his own words and experiences and fueled by his passion to make a difference in as many lives as possible.”

Ashleigh Jackson of Nexstar contributed to this report.