02.01 am, Tuesday May 22 2012

Houston died face down in bath, on drug cocktail

12:00 AEDT Fri Apr 6 2012
By ninemsn staff
VIEWS: 0
| FLOCKS: 0
| comments0 comments so far
Whitney Houston sings with Bobbi Kristina Brown. (AAP)
Whitney Houston sings with Bobbi Kristina Brown. (AAP)

The latest from
CANNES FROCKS
In pics: From dull to daring to diva-licious!
ROBIN GIBB TRIBUTE
Watch: The Bee Gees greatest video hits

Pop legend Whitney Houston may have overdosed on drugs and alcohol before drowning face-down in her bathtub, coroners said in a new report, giving grisly details of her February death.

The 42-page coroner's report gave more details than an initial report released last month, which concluded that the Grammy-winning singer died from accidental drowning after taking cocaine, possibly triggering a heart attack.

"The decedent possibly overdosed on a narcotic substance, prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, and alcohol," said the full report released Wednesday from the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

It added that there were no signs of foul play in the 48-year-old's death.

It cited the star's personal assistant as having found her lifeless in her Beverly Hilton hotel room on February 11, hours before a star-studded party on the eve of the music industry's annual Grammys awards show.

"The personal assistant... went into the bathroom, and she found the decedent lying face down in the bathtub, unresponsive... The bathtub was filled with water, and there was water on the bathroom floor," it said.

Detailing the condition of Houston's body, it noted that "there was a bloody purge coming from her nose."

The report said a substance -- which was later determined to be cocaine -- was found in the bedroom.

"Located on the south portion of the counter was a small spoon with a white crystal-like substance in it and a rolled up piece of white paper," it said.

Various bottles were found in the hotel room -- in all some 12 medications prescribed by five different doctors, including anxiety treatment Xanax and the potent corticosteroid Prednisone, the report said.

It described in gruesome detail the scene when investigators arrived, after the body had been taken out of the bathtub and placed on the bedroom floor -- where the carpet was soaked from water overflowing from the tub.

Efforts to re-start her heart had apparently already been made. "The bathroom floor was flooded and ... much of the carpeted area of the living room was moist also, even up to where the body lay," it noted.

"The decedent was nude, lying supine on the living room floor. There was a defibrillator patch on the upper right side of her chest and there was another defibrillator patch on the left central portion of her torso.

The coroner noted "skin slippage" on various parts of her body, and a "possible old puncture wound to her inner left elbow," but said that overall the singer was "well built, muscular and fairly well nourished."

Investigators also found a hole in her nasal septum, which could have been caused by long-term cocaine use.

Houston's sudden death cast a pall over the annual gathering at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, with several tributes to the singer -- and a public prayer -- added to the show at the last minute.

The singer of hits such as "I Will Always Love You" sold more than 170 million records during a nearly three-decade career, but also fought a long battle against substance abuse.

Last month it emerged that Houston had left all of her assets to her daughter Bobbi Kristina, born from her troubled marriage to singer Bobby Brown, who gets nothing.

A few days later Bobbi Kristina said she plans to follow her mother into show business.

Houston's sister-in-law, Patricia Houston, claimed the star's untimely death could have been predicted.

"The handwriting was kind of on the wall. I would be kidding myself to say otherwise," she told TV talk show queen Oprah Winfrey.

 

Most popular

 Audio of murder heard at Milat sentencingParts of a 15-minute audio recording of a youth's murder have been played at the sentencing hearing of his killers, who include a relative of Ivan Milat.
 Vic gambler fails to recover millionsA gambler has failed to recover more than $20 million lost during a $1.4 billion splurge at Melbourne's Crown Casino.
 Cold case DNA found in secret compartmentA secret compartment found in the hotel room of a murdered NSW nanny has shed new light on the murder of the 20-year-old in 1991.
 Twin's 'sixth sense' locates tumourA Sydney man suffering from persistent headaches convinced his identical twin brother to get an MRI, discovering a brain tumour by doing so.
 Great white shark lurks off BondiFishermen have released footage of a massive great white shark encountered off Sydney's Bondi Beach.
 WA man faces death penalty in MalaysiaA West Australian man has been charged with drug trafficking in Malaysia and is facing the death penalty.
 Key police document missing for 12 yearsQuestions have been raised about whether a surveillance operation targeting more than 100 NSW police officers was conducted properly.
 Bride's big day marred by Occupy protest

A US couple's big day was thrown into disarray when they emerged from church and were confronted with a massive crowd of Occupy Wall Street protesters.

 Secret compartment sparks murder case hopeA secret compartment under a northern NSW motel bed has sparked renewed hope of solving a 21-year-old murder.
 40 asylum seekers to live in Aussie homesUnder a program, participating families will be eligible for a small stipend to provide short-term home stay to asylum seekers moving out of detention.
Be our fan on Facebook
Most Recommended
You need the latest version of Flash Player.
Enjoy the most vivid content on the web
Watch video without extra features
Interact with applications on your favourite sites
Upgrade now

page complete