Michael Jackson mystery over doctor's drug cocktail

Los Angeles County Coroner's investigator Brian Elias said on Saturday that Jackson's family told his office on Friday they want a second autopsy carried out. According to celebrity news website TMZ.com, the new autopsy is already underway at an undisclosed location in Los Angeles. Pictures: King of Pop Michael Jackson Los Angeles coroner's officials said on Friday after an initial autopsy that Jackson's cause of death will not be finalised until the results of toxicology tests are known in several weeks. Preliminary findings said there's no evidence of foul play or external physical injury to Jackson. Jackson's personal doctor will be questioned for a second time by police after allegations the singer was fed a daily cocktail of painkillers that contributed to his death.Reports of Jackson's last days point towards a reliance on Demerol, a powerful painkiller with a track record of causing fatalities if misused.
Some media reports have speculated the star also consumed, on a daily basis, a shopping list of prescription drugs including painkillers, anti-depressants, muscle relaxants and anti-anxiety tablets.
Friend, actor-singer Liza Minnelli, told reporters yesterday "all hell would break loose" when the results of Jackson's autopsy are released.
An autopsy has been conducted in Los Angeles, but the coroner ordered additional tests and said it could be up to a month before results and the cause of death were released.
The investigation into Jackson's death took a unexpected twist yesterday when it emerged physician Dr Conrad Murray – who allegedly had been with Jackson when he lapsed into a coma – was hired by concert promoters to accompany Jackson to London for his comeback tour.
Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief Charlie Beck yesterday said Dr Murray's car was impounded because it may contain evidence linked to Jackson's death.
Mr Beck suggested police were searching for medication. "I'm not commenting on whether anything like that has been found, but that is typically the reason why a physician's vehicle at the scene of a death would be confiscated," he said.
Mr Beck stressed that police had yet to find evidence of criminal activity, and said homicide police were running the case only because of its patient's high profile.
Police were unaware of Dr Murray's location for several hours yesterday before they were able to establish contact, prompting speculation he had fled. They interviewed him yesterday and planned to do so again.
Police want to question Dr Murray specifically about a possible administration of an injection shortly before Jackson lapsed into a coma.
He had frantically tried to resuscitate the 50-year-old before a staffer in the home where Jackson was staying called 911 for emergency help.
It is understood Dr Murray refused to put his name on the death certificate and Jackson was not officially declared dead until he was taken to the hospital, nearly an hour later. The LAPD yesterday seized Dr Murray's BMW as part of the investigation, believing it may contain drugs or other evidence.
Those close to Jackson say it had become clear that he was reliant on painkillers as he prepared for a gruelling comeback.
Yesterday, LAPD detectives met with Jackson's family at his $100,000-a-month rented home where he had based himself as he prepared for his tour, due to start on July 13.
The LA County Coroner's Office yesterday confirmed Jackson was a prescription drug user, but could not say which drugs were present in his system. That would be left for the toxicology reports, which would take four to six weeks.
But other sources said friends knew of up to nine medications Jackson had taken in recent times.
Chief investigator for the office, Craig Harvey, said there was no evidence of trauma or foul play.
"There will be no final ruling as to the cause and manner of death until requested tests results have been received and reviewed in context with the autopsy findings," Mr Harvey said.
Jackson's body has been cleared for release to his family, who are now making funeral plans.
New-age spiritual guru and close friend Deepak Chopra confirmed Jackson suffered from an addiction to prescription drugs, including the painkillers Demerol and Oxycontin.
"I think it (drug addiction) was responsible for his death, not just contributed," he told CNN.
Jackson's cocktail of drugs is believed to have included:
• Demerol – a narcotic painkiller he received via injection three times a day.
• Dilaudid – a morphine-based painkiller. He took a 3mg pill three times a day.
• Vicodin – he had recently been prescribed this opiate, which is derived from codeine.
• Oxycontin – a powerful opium-based painkiller.
• Soma – a muscle relaxant he took twice a day in 2mg tablets.
• Xanax – he took two 0.5mg tablets of this sedative twice a day.
• Zoloft – an anti-depressant that he took in 100mg doses.
• Paxil – another anti-depressant he took in 20mg pills.
• Prilosec – an over-the-counter heartburn medication.
Some medication was believed to help Jackson mask the aches and pains behind injuries including a broken leg and broken vertebrae suffered after falling off a stage, and pain suffered after his hair caught fire while filming a commercial.
Other medication was believed to help him mask depression caused by child abuse allegations, bad parenting and a withdrawal from the world.