The investigation into the death of Prince may have a major development.
The investigation into the death of Prince may have a major development.
On Wednesday, it was announced that Carver County Attorney Mark Metz will announce in a press conference on Thursday whether or not any person -- or multiple people -- will be charged concerning the death of the legendary singer. The conference comes just two days before the two-year death anniversary of Prince.
The press conference will take place at the Carver County Justice Center in Minnesota at 11:30 a.m.
Prince was found dead in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on April 21, 2016. In May 2016, a spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office told ET that the DEA and US Attorney's Office joined the local sheriff's department to determine the cause of death following reports of alleged drug abuse.
In June 2016, the official autopsy report released by the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office called Prince's death "accidental," listing the cause as "Fentanyl toxicity" that was "self-administered." A law enforcement source previously told CBS News that prescription drugs were found in Prince's possession and at his Paisley Park estate at the time of his death. A source also previously told ET that the "Purple Rain" singer had a problem with the painkiller Percocet, which began shortly after he underwent hip replacement surgery in 2010.
Last April, ET obtained court documents in the death investigation of the singer, and the results of the search warrant showed that bottles of opioid painkillers were found throughout Prince's Paisley Park compound. Some of the bottles were prescribed to Prince's longtime friend, Kirk Johnson, which Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg -- a physician Prince saw before his death -- claimed was done to protect Prince's privacy. Johnson told authorities that he was unaware that Prince had an addiction to painkillers, but according to the search warrant, investigators were told by witnesses that the singer "recently had a history of going through withdrawals which are believed to be the result of abuse of prescription medication."
Johnson's lawyer, F. Clayton Tyler, released a statement to ET at the time, reading, "After reviewing the search warrants and affidavits released today, we believe that it is clear that Kirk Johnson did not secure nor supply the drugs which caused Prince’s death. There will be no further comment."
As for Dr. Schulenberg, he left his job at North Memorial Medical Center nearly three weeks after Prince's death. His lawyer also gave ET a statement last April regarding the investigation.
"Dr. Schulenberg has been and remains committed to providing full transparency regarding his practice as it relates to the Prince investigation," Amy S. Conners, a lawyer representing Schulenberg, said. "[He] has previously disclosed all information regarding his care and treatment of Prince to his former employer, law enforcement authorities and regulatory authorities in the course of his complete cooperation with the investigation of Prince’s death. There are no restrictions on Dr. Schulenberg’s medical license, and contrary to headlines and media reports published in the wake of today’s unsealing of search warrants relating to the investigation, Dr. Schulenberg never directly prescribed opioids to Prince, nor did he ever prescribe opioids to any other person with the intent that they would be given to Prince."
Prince, whose legal name is Prince Rogers Nelson, was 57 years old at the time of his death.
For more on the investigation, watch below:
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