Two months after Matthew Perry died at age 54 in October 2023, his death was ruled an accident . That ruling proved to be far from the end of the story. A December 2023 toxicology report concluded that Perry died from “the acute effects of ketamine.
” The report noted that Perry had been receiving regular ketamine infusions to treat depression and anxiety, but his last infusion had taken place more than a week before his death. The discrepancy left room for questions about how and why Perry had ketamine in his system when he died. In May 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that they had opened an investigation into Perry’s death.
Three months later, five individuals were hit with varying federal charges, including conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. Keep scrolling for a complete timeline of the investigation of Perry’s death: Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. He was pronounced dead later that day.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office released a toxicology report concluding that Perry died from “the acute effects of ketamine.” The actor’s death was ruled an accident, with drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (which is used to treat opioid use) listed as contributing factors. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that they had opened an investigation into Perry’s death, focusing specifically on how Perry obtained the ketamine found in his system when he d.