It's been almost a year since Prince died from an accidental drug overdose in his suburban Minneapolis studio and estate, yet investigators still haven't interviewed a key associate or asked a grand jury to consider whether criminal charges are warranted, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation. But it is part of a family of painkillers driving the nation's overdose and addiction epidemic, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg said he wrote an Oxycodone prescription for Prince under Johnson's name for privacy purposes, according to a search warrant that was among the documents unsealed.
Patients who take prescription opioids eventually build up a tolerance and need to take stronger doses to get the same effect.
KARE 11 reports that the documents, which were made public Monday morning, show that CVS prescription bottles found in Prince's home had the name of his longtime bodyguard, Kirk Johnson, on the label.
Just six days earlier, Prince fell ill on a plane and made an emergency stop in IL as he was returning home from a concert in Atlanta.
The "Purple Rain" hitmaker tragically passed away on April 21 a year ago aged 57 after an accidental Fentanyl overdose, and reports from the search warrants released by Minnesota authorities, which have been obtained by TMZ, have revealed the music legend's home was laden with pills prescribed to Peter Bravestrong, which was believed to be the alias Prince went under to maintain his privacy. Some were in prescription bottles for Johnson. The Minneapolis Star Tribune last August quoted a source with knowledge of the investigation as saying that pills seized by investigators at Prince's home were labeled as hydrocodone but actually contained fentanyl. But Johnson hasn't talked to federal prosecutors, according to the official with knowledge of the investigation, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. The day before Prince died, Paisley Park staffers contacted the California addiction specialist as they were trying to get Prince help. They've also searched cellphone records, medical records and computers.
A message left with Schulenberg's attorney wasn't immediately returned. Schulenberg has an active medical license and is now practicing family medicine in Minnesota.
Schulenberg's attorney, Amy Conners, disputed that.
Zinedine Zidane Unsure Of Real Madrid Future, 'Not Preparing' For Next Season
Griezmann scored a late equaliser in the recently concluded Madrid derby to secure a vital draw for Atletico Madrid . Real coach Zinedine Zidane remarked afterwards: "It's a tough game to read".
While authorities have the power to ask a grand jury to investigate and issue subpoenas for testimony, that step hasn't been taken, the official said.
Authorities conducted a second search more than two weeks after Prince died and recovered more evidence, including numerous counterfeit pills, the official said.
When authorities later checked a database set up to monitor who's getting prescriptions for controlled substances, they found nothing for Prince.
Judith and Prince had reportedly been dating since 2014, and communicated through an email account set up in Prince's former managers, Julia Ramadan; Judith was interviewed about the singer's death on June 16. The suitcase had a tag on it bearing the name "Peter Bravestrong", which investigators determined is an alias for Prince.
Prince was scheduled to meet with Andrew Kornfeld, who had come to Minneapolis to assess him for a drug dependency program that was headed by his father, Dr. Howard Kornfeld. The Kornfelds' attorney, William Mauzy, has said Andrew had meant to give the medication to a doctor.
Investigators have said little about the case over the previous year, other than it is active.
AP Medical Writer Carla K. Johnson contributed to this story from Chicago.
Comments