Jill StewartMichael Jackson's toxicology and other drug tests will not be completed for weeks, and rumors that a celebrity “rush job” is underway are bunk, says Craig R. Harvey, Chief Coroner Investigator and Chief of Operations at the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner.
“Is this rumor just nonsense? Yes, that would be nonsense. You can't rush science,” Harvey emailed to LA Weekly. “Our lab director says you can have it fast, cheap or accurate, but you have to decide which two you want, because the third will not be an option depending on the two you pick.”
So Liza Minelli's broadside, that “all hell's going to break loose” when the results come in, is way premature.
Credit: Eric VanBeek
Harvey says: “Almost all of the toxicology testing is done in-house. In some cases, testing for certain prescription drugs may have to be sent to an outside lab. … The testing looks for certain drugs of abuse, and where indicated, will look for specific prescription drugs. The testing is then validated and the results must then be analyzed to determine what they mean in the specific case they are being considered in.”
TMZ is reporting that the 911 call referred to the mysterious doctor on the scene at Jackson's death, Dr. Conrad Murray, who abruptly vanished after Jackson's death but has now contacted authorities.
More images from outside the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner today, June 26:
Credit: Eric VanBeek
Credit: Eric VanBeek
Credit: Eric VanBeek
Credit: Eric VanBeek
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