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

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 14: Actor Matthew Perry arrives at the 9th Annual Benefit Dinner to benefit the Lili Claire Foundation at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 14, 2006 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

Authorities are nearing completion of the criminal investigation into the death of Matthew Perry and believe that several people are connected to his death.

Law enforcement sources recently told PEOPLE magazine that the investigation was “nearing completion” and authorities believe “several individuals” should be charged.

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 the “Friends” actor died from “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 supplied Perry with the ketamine.

“Traces of ketamine were found in the stomach contents,” the autopsy report states. “He is said to have received 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.”

KTLA 5 has reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office about the case, but has not provided comment. The Attorney General’s Office will ultimately decide whether or not to file charges.

ABC News reports that the case could go back to prosecutors if they do not file charges in federal court.

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.”