Coroners on Sunday completed their autopsy on the body of singer Whitney Houston and confirmed that she was found in the bathtub of her BeverlyHills hotel room, but said the cause of death would not be determined until more lab tests were completed.
Ed Winter, assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County, revealed little about the autopsy at a news conference, but said medical examiners found no visible signs of trauma or foul play. He declined to comment on various media reports that Houston, 48, had drowned in her hotel bath tub, possibly after succumbing to drugs or alcohol. He added, “I’m not going to comment on any of the meds or prescriptions that were obtained.”
“I’d just comment that she was found in the bathtub. ... I believe somebody removed her from the bath tub and the paramedics did CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on her.”
He said toxicology tests, which would take six to eight weeks to conduct, would be necessary to determine what factor, if any, drugs or alcohol might have played in Houston’s death.
He also said a “security hold” had been placed on the case, as has been done in previous high-profile investigations, to keep further details from being divulged.
The coroner’s briefing came as the Grammy Awards opened a few miles away at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, where rapper-actor LL Cool J payed tribute to the late pop star just after the start of the star-studded music show.