NEW YORK -- The test of a $20 bill found at the scene where Heath Ledger's body was discovered has come back negative for drug residue, police said.
Police said the Australian-born actor's death may have been caused by a drug overdose and appeared to be accidental.
Among the prescription medications found in bottles in Ledger's bedroom and bathroom were pills to treat insomnia and anxiety, and an antihistamine, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. Three of the drugs were prescribed in Europe, the sources said. Ledger had recently been filming in London.
A rolled-up $20 bill was found on the floor near the actor's bed, but New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said lab tests found nothing to indicate the bill had been used to snort drugs. Police also said no illegal drugs were found in the apartment.
Earlier Wednesday, the medical examiner's office told NewsChannel 4 that an autopsy on actor Heath Ledger was inconclusive, and more tests are needed.
"We have to do further testing, which includes toxicology and tissue testing. We expect to have results in about 10 days to two weeks," spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.
She said the timeframe for the results could be shorter or longer.
Another detail that emerged Wednesday had to do with the masseuse who arrived for an appointment when the Oscar-nominated actor's body was discovered. In addition to calling 911, the masseuse called actress Mary-Kate Olsen twice, and Olsen sent over three security men, NYPD sources said.
When Olsen's security personnel arrived, Emergency Medical Services technicians were already on the scene and Ledger was believed dead.
Olsen could not be reached for comment.
An NYPD spokesman said, the masseuse Diana Lee Wolozin, placed two calls to Olsen before calling 911.
In the first call to Olsen, police said Wolozin told Olsen that Ledger is unconscious.
Olsen apparently said she's sending security.
Police said Olsen then called three members of security detail to Ledger's apartment.
Wolozin called Olsen a second time and said she thinks Ledger is dead and tells Olsen she's calling 911, NYPD officials said.
Ledger's body was released around 2 p.m. Wednesday and taken to the Frank E. Campbell funeral home on Madison Avenue at his father's request, according to a medical examiner spokeswoman.
Ledger was found dead, face down on his bed and naked by his housekeeper at 3:26 p.m. on Tuesday. The housekeeper was trying to let him know that the masseuse had arrived for an appointment, police said.
Police sources said investigators found bottles of sleeping and anti-anxiety pills at the apartment.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said that no illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia were found in the apartment. Before the test results emerged, he said testing of the $20 bill was a routine step given where and how it was found.
Kelly said it appears no crime was committed.
Police said an accidental overdose of prescription drugs remains the leading theory. No suicide note had been recovered, police sources said.
The apartment, which Ledger had rented for the last three or four months, was neat, a law enforcement told WNBC.
When asked why the masseuse would call Olsen to send security, a spokeswoman for Mary-Kate Olsen, Annette Wolf, said, "These are things we can't answer, these are not questions we can answer."
When asked if Olsen was dating Heath Ledger, another spokeswoman, Nicole Caruso, said, "I have no information for you on that, I can't answer that".
The New York City Medical Examiner's Office conducted the autopsy Wednesday.
While not a marquee movie star, Ledger was a respected, award-winning actor who chose his roles carefully rather than cashing in on his heartthrob looks. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain," where he met Michelle Williams, who played his wife in the 2005 film. The two had a daughter, now 2-year-old Matilda, and lived together until they split up last year.
The death was a shocking and unforeseen conclusion for one of Hollywood's bright young stars. Though his leading man looks propelled him to early stardom in films like "10 Things I Hate About You" and "A Knight's Tale," his career took a notable turn toward dramatic and brooding roles with 2001's "Monster's Ball."
Ledger eschewed Hollywood glitz in favor of a bohemian life in Brooklyn, where he was one of the borough's most famous residents before moving to Manhattan. "Brokeback" would be his breakthrough role, establishing him as one of his generation's finest talents and an actor willing to take risks.
Ledger told The New York Times in November that he "stressed out a little too much" during the filming of the Bob Dylan film "I'm Not There," and had trouble sleeping while portraying the Joker in "Dark Knight," whom he called a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."
In what may be his final finished performance, Ledger proved that he wouldn't be intimidated by taking on a character as iconic as Jack Nicholson's Joker, playing the comic-book villain in a sequel to "Batman Begins."
Before settling down with Williams, Ledger had relationships with actresses Heather Graham and Naomi Watts.
Ledger was born in 1979 in Perth, in western Australia, to a mining engineer and a French teacher, and got his first acting role playing Peter Pan at age 10 at a local theater company. He began acting in independent films as a 16-year-old in Sydney.
source : wnbc.com
Police said the Australian-born actor's death may have been caused by a drug overdose and appeared to be accidental.
Among the prescription medications found in bottles in Ledger's bedroom and bathroom were pills to treat insomnia and anxiety, and an antihistamine, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. Three of the drugs were prescribed in Europe, the sources said. Ledger had recently been filming in London.
A rolled-up $20 bill was found on the floor near the actor's bed, but New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said lab tests found nothing to indicate the bill had been used to snort drugs. Police also said no illegal drugs were found in the apartment.
Earlier Wednesday, the medical examiner's office told NewsChannel 4 that an autopsy on actor Heath Ledger was inconclusive, and more tests are needed.
"We have to do further testing, which includes toxicology and tissue testing. We expect to have results in about 10 days to two weeks," spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.
She said the timeframe for the results could be shorter or longer.
Another detail that emerged Wednesday had to do with the masseuse who arrived for an appointment when the Oscar-nominated actor's body was discovered. In addition to calling 911, the masseuse called actress Mary-Kate Olsen twice, and Olsen sent over three security men, NYPD sources said.
When Olsen's security personnel arrived, Emergency Medical Services technicians were already on the scene and Ledger was believed dead.
Olsen could not be reached for comment.
An NYPD spokesman said, the masseuse Diana Lee Wolozin, placed two calls to Olsen before calling 911.
In the first call to Olsen, police said Wolozin told Olsen that Ledger is unconscious.
Olsen apparently said she's sending security.
Police said Olsen then called three members of security detail to Ledger's apartment.
Wolozin called Olsen a second time and said she thinks Ledger is dead and tells Olsen she's calling 911, NYPD officials said.
Ledger's body was released around 2 p.m. Wednesday and taken to the Frank E. Campbell funeral home on Madison Avenue at his father's request, according to a medical examiner spokeswoman.
Ledger was found dead, face down on his bed and naked by his housekeeper at 3:26 p.m. on Tuesday. The housekeeper was trying to let him know that the masseuse had arrived for an appointment, police said.
Police sources said investigators found bottles of sleeping and anti-anxiety pills at the apartment.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said that no illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia were found in the apartment. Before the test results emerged, he said testing of the $20 bill was a routine step given where and how it was found.
Kelly said it appears no crime was committed.
Police said an accidental overdose of prescription drugs remains the leading theory. No suicide note had been recovered, police sources said.
The apartment, which Ledger had rented for the last three or four months, was neat, a law enforcement told WNBC.
When asked why the masseuse would call Olsen to send security, a spokeswoman for Mary-Kate Olsen, Annette Wolf, said, "These are things we can't answer, these are not questions we can answer."
When asked if Olsen was dating Heath Ledger, another spokeswoman, Nicole Caruso, said, "I have no information for you on that, I can't answer that".
The New York City Medical Examiner's Office conducted the autopsy Wednesday.
While not a marquee movie star, Ledger was a respected, award-winning actor who chose his roles carefully rather than cashing in on his heartthrob looks. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain," where he met Michelle Williams, who played his wife in the 2005 film. The two had a daughter, now 2-year-old Matilda, and lived together until they split up last year.
The death was a shocking and unforeseen conclusion for one of Hollywood's bright young stars. Though his leading man looks propelled him to early stardom in films like "10 Things I Hate About You" and "A Knight's Tale," his career took a notable turn toward dramatic and brooding roles with 2001's "Monster's Ball."
Ledger eschewed Hollywood glitz in favor of a bohemian life in Brooklyn, where he was one of the borough's most famous residents before moving to Manhattan. "Brokeback" would be his breakthrough role, establishing him as one of his generation's finest talents and an actor willing to take risks.
Ledger told The New York Times in November that he "stressed out a little too much" during the filming of the Bob Dylan film "I'm Not There," and had trouble sleeping while portraying the Joker in "Dark Knight," whom he called a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."
In what may be his final finished performance, Ledger proved that he wouldn't be intimidated by taking on a character as iconic as Jack Nicholson's Joker, playing the comic-book villain in a sequel to "Batman Begins."
Before settling down with Williams, Ledger had relationships with actresses Heather Graham and Naomi Watts.
Ledger was born in 1979 in Perth, in western Australia, to a mining engineer and a French teacher, and got his first acting role playing Peter Pan at age 10 at a local theater company. He began acting in independent films as a 16-year-old in Sydney.
source : wnbc.com
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