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Breakthrough in Case: Detectives Uncover Source of Matthew Perry’s Fatal Ketamine Dose

Detectives working in the criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding Matthew Perry’s tragic death in late 2023 have finally discovered how actor Matthew Perry received the final dose of the drug ketamine that took his life.

A composite image showing a close-up of a person's face, a gloved hand holding pills, spilled pills from an orange bottle, and yellow crime scene tape with
Credit: Inside the Magic

A Tragedy Has Become Even More Tragic

The fatal dose of the powerful drug ketamine that killed actor Matthew Perry in October 2023–and how the dose ended up in his system–has been at the center of a criminal investigation into his death that is being conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the Emmy Award-winning NBC sitcom Friends, drowned in the jacuzzi at his Pacific Palisades home on October 28, 2023. Law enforcement officers on the scene at Perry’s home on Blue Sail Drive in the Hollywood Hills reported no evidence of foul play and said no drugs were found in the home, except for those prescribed by Perry’s physician.

Chandler Bing in a blue shirt, smiling with his arms crossed on Friends
Credit: NBCUniversal

An autopsy was performed to determine Perry’s exact cause of death, but the initial results were inconclusive. In mid-December, however, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s report revealed that Perry died from acute effects of the powerful drug ketamine. Other contributing factors in his death included drowning, buprenorphine effects–referring to a medication used to treat opioid use disorder–and coronary artery disease.

The report noted Perry’s serum ketamine levels and stated that the late actor had been undergoing ketamine treatments for depression and anxiety at the time of his death. Per the report, however, those levels were higher than expected, considering that his last treatment was administered more than a week before his passing.
A man with short, slightly graying hair and glasses is smiling softly while looking slightly off-camera. He is wearing a dark blazer over a grey shirt and is posed against a dark background.
Credit: Flickr/Iris Orellana

News that Perry’s death was linked to ketamine came just weeks after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an urgent warning about the drug.

A Criminal Investigation Aims to Determine the Drug’s Point of Origin–and Who Else Might Have Been Involved

Though the initial death investigation was officially closed in December, a criminal investigation was immediately begun, though most people were unaware of the new probe until May 2024 when it was revealed that law enforcement was working with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Postal Inspection Service to determine who might have supplied the ketamine that cost Perry his life.

Side-by-side image: Left, a close-up of a Los Angeles Police Officer badge with the number 18588. Right, a man with short hair, wearing a dark blazer over a white shirt, smiling slightly, against a blue and purple gradient background.
Credit: Inside the Magic

Last week, it was revealed that a famous female celebrity had been questioned multiple times by investigators about her potential role in Perry’s death. Her iPhone and laptop were seized by detectives, and she reportedly retained the services of a criminal defense attorney, but at the time, her identity was concealed.

Days later, Brooke Mueller, ex-wife of actor Charlie Sheen, was named as the person of interest. Mueller and Perry had lived in the same sober living house as part of rehab and struck up an “unlikely friendship.”

Sources have reported that Mueller has been cooperative with the investigation and maintains that she would never do anything to harm Perry, as they were friends.

Detectives Now Know How Perry Received the Fatal Dose of Ketamine

According to the law enforcement source who is working closely with investigators, the dose of ketamine that killed Perry was purchased and sent to Perry via U.S. Mail from dealers to whom Matthew Perry was introduced online.

A mail carrier in a white postal truck with red, blue, and white stripes places mail into a residential mailbox on the side of a suburban street. The truck is parked on the street next to the mailbox, its door open in the bright daylight. You can almost imagine Matthew Perry driving by with a friendly wave.
Credit: Inside the Magic

“The investigation has been complex, detailed, and it has unraveled a complex network of drug dealers who operated online and who utilized U.S. post for the delivery of illegal drugs to his Hollywood Hills home,” the source explained. He continued, saying that detectives will recommend many charges being filed.

Earlier this week, the same law enforcement source said that “multiple people” were responsible for Perry’s death. However, decisions about whether to file charges and against whom to file them can only be made by the United States Attorney’s Office.

As this story continues to develop, additional information and details will be shared as they become available.

Becky Burkett

Becky's from the Lone Star State and has been writing since she was 10 and encountered her first Disney Park when she was 11. It was love at first Main Street Electrical Parade. Joy is blank lined journals, 0.7 mm pens, and all things Walt, Woody and Buzz, PIXAR, Imagineering, Sleeping Beauty (make it blue!), Disney Parks history and EPCOT. At Disney World, you'll find her croonin' with the birdies at the Enchanted Tiki Room or hangin' with Woody and the gang at Toy Story Land. If you can dream, you really can do it!

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