Criminal investigation into Matthew Perry’s ketamine death ongoing, LAPD says

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed Tuesday that a criminal investigation is underway into the death of Matthew Perry from the acute effects of ketamine.

The LAPD said that with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Agency and the US Postal Inspection Service, it is continuing its investigation into the circumstances of the actor’s death, specifically examining the source of the ketamine found in the system of Perry.

Perry, 54, was found unconscious at his home on October 28, 2023 “floating face down in the heated end” of the pool.

The star of the sitcom “Friends” had gone out to play pickleball around 11 a.m. the morning of her death and returned home two hours later, witnesses told police.

According to the LAPD, his assistant went out shopping shortly afterward — the last time Perry was seen alive — and found the actor dead when he returned. Perry was pronounced dead at 4:17 p.m.

The autopsy report from the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office said the death was accidental, with the cause of death listed as “acute effects of ketamine,” with contributing factors listed as “drowning, coronary artery disease, and effects of buprenorphine.”

The autopsy report found traces of ketamine in Perry’s stomach, but the amount found in his blood was the same as that used in general anesthesia.

The actor, who struggled with addiction, was undergoing ketamine treatments under medical supervision to treat depression and anxiety. At the time of his death, Perry had been sober for 19 months. The autopsy report indicated that he was last prescribed ketamine treatment a week and a half before his death.

The report concluded that Perry’s cause of death was not due to his prior infusion therapy, as the half-life of the drug is only 3 to 4 hours, but rather that the ketamine had been taken from a another way.

Ketamine has been approved by the FDA as an anesthetic since the 1970s, and research shows it can help some patients when used as medically supervised treatment for depression and anxiety.

Experts say it also carries risks. The drug has a dissociative effect, apparently separating the mind from the body, and can cause hallucinations. It is known for its use in nightclubs and party culture. The DEA warns that a ketamine overdose can cause loss of consciousness and dangerous slowing of breathing.