A thorough and complete autopsy of Prince’s body was completed on Friday, Apr. 22 at the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Minnesota. It was performed by chief medical examiner Dr. A. Quinn Strobl. The autopsy took longer than a typical examination due to the late singer’s celebrity status, an official of the office told the press. Prince’s body will soon be released to his family for funeral arrangements.
The results from the autopsy will not be released until the toxicology results are completed, which often take several weeks. Furthermore, the office will not report any crucial information regarding his death unless all results are analyzed and confirmed.
Rumors continue to circulate regarding Prince’s untimely death. TMZ reported that he had overdosed on the pain killer Percocet, which previously caused his jet to make an emergency landing and emergency medical services to transport him to a local hospital.
The medical examiner’s office suggests anything being reported by the media is mere speculation. In many cases, preliminary autopsy results take a few days and toxicology results take up to 30 days. Meanwhile, complex cases can take as long as three months.
Prince was considered a Jehovah’s Witness, a religious belief that prefers that the body of the deceased not be dissected, but a family member can choose to allow an autopsy to be completed to determine the most likely cause of death. Not only does the autopsy include examining the body and submitting biological samples to a toxicology laboratory, it can also include extensive investigation of the scene to determine what led to the outcome.