27 June,2009 02:23 PM IST | | PTI
The Los Angeles County coroner's office has handed back the body of pop star Michael Jackson to his family after the autopsy. "Mr Michael Jackson's remains have been removed from the coroner's office. His remains have been taken to an unknown location at the request of his family. There's a security hold on the case so I can't disclose the location," Los Angeles county assistant chief coroner Ed Winter said. The coroner's office had earlier ruled out any "foul play or external trauma" on Jackson's body after the autopsy. But the cause of death will only be determined after toxicology and other tests, which will take weeks, Coroner's spokesperson Craig Harvey said. "We anticipate being able to close the case and issuing a final cause of death" after those tests are completed in "four to six weeks", Harvey said. "We know he was taking some prescription medications," Harvey was quoted as saying by Los Angeles Times. However, he did not elaborate. He said that Jackson's body is now available for release for funeral.
The autopsy on Jackson took a little over three and a half hours to complete and the body was released to the family as they decide on funeral arrangements, Winter told Sky News. Jackson, 50, died on Thursday at his rented home in Los Angeles. The pop star died at a hospital here yesterday after a cardiac arrest. People close to the singer have claimed that his dependency on prescription drugs led to his sudden death.
Police to question cardiologist
Police investigating pop star Michael Jackson's sudden death are now seeking to question a Las Vegas cardiologist who was present at the singer's home when he collapsed. Dr Conrad Murray who is licensed in Texas, Nevada and California, reportedly administered CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) to Jackson on Thursday before the paramedics team arrived at his rented Holmby Hills home. Murray also accompanied the singer to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where the singer was pronounced dead, Los Angeles Times reported. Sources said that the investigators briefly spoke to Murray but plan to question him further.
