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Louise Thomas
Editor
Police have made at least one arrest in connection with the death of Friends star Matthew Perry.
The arrest was made in Southern California on Thursday (15 August) following the accidental overdose death of the actor, law enforcement sources told NBC News.
At least one doctor is said to have been arrested, according to US showbiz site TMZ, with some reports suggesting that multiple individuals have been taken into custody.
Law enforcement agencies have executed search warrants and seized computers, phones and other electronic equipment to determine who was responsible for the supply of the drug which led to the actor’s overdose.
First responders found Perry, 54, unresponsive in the hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home on 28 October 2023. The actor was pronounced dead at the scene.
After a medical examiner ruled his death an accident last year, Perry’s passing was considered a closed case.
But almost seven months later an investigation, at both federal and local level, had been opened into who supplied the Friends actor with the ketamine which caused his death.
The investigation into how Perry came to have so much ketamine involves the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and the US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the LAPD confirmed in May.
An early toxicology report in December 2023 confirmed that Perry had died from “acute effects of ketamine”, which caused him to drown in the heated waters. Sources close to the actor said he was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy to treat depression and anxiety.
His autopsy, released in December, found that the amount of the drug in Perry’s blood was in the range used for general anesthesia during surgery.
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Yet his last infusion therapy was one and a half weeks before his death. The coroner noted that the ketamine in Matthew’s system “could not be from that infusion therapy, since ketamine’s half-life is three to four hours, or less”.
The showbiz world was plunged into sadness when Perry’s death was revealed last year. The star had played the sarcastic Chandler Bing, known for his dry and witty retorts.
Following the news, his five co-stars – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow – released a joint statement asking for time to “process this unfathomable loss”.
They wrote: “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.
“In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”
More to follow...
