Search Warrant Served On Prince’s Paisley Park Estate
Adding yet another layer of intrigue upon the already nebulous circumstances surrounding the death of rock icon Prince, police have reportedly served a search warrant upon the late singer’s Paisley Park estate. According to celebrity news and gossip site TMZ, authorities in Carver County, Minnesota, obtained the warrant on Thursday. The site further noted that police are searching for “drugs, correspondence, prescriptions and medical information that could help in the death investigation.”
An autopsy was conducted on the 57-year-old rock star late last week, and his remains were cremated shortly thereafter. A Rolling Stone report indicated that the results of the postmortem exam were “inconclusive,” noting that forthcoming toxicology reports would provide greater insight into the circumstances surrounding his death. The final location of Prince’s remains was not disclosed to the public.
Prince’s medical issues have been a recurring point of discussion in media coverage ever since the singer was found unresponsive in his elevator at Paisley Park Studios on April 21. Because Prince was an intensely private person, little was known about any underlying health issues prior to his passing. But details have been released in a slow trickle over the course of the past week, including allegations that Prince was taking opioid painkillers for chronic pain due to hip problems. At least one source has also disclosed that Prince was also suffering from the flu at the time of his death.
Indeed, Entertainment Tonight confirmed that a number of prescription drugs were found on Prince at the time of his death, prompting the local sheriff’s office to contact the Drug Enforcement Agency for assistance in their investigation. Moreover, Prince was reportedly treated for a drug overdose several days before his passing, receiving a “save shot” of Narcan to counter the dangerous effects of excessive opiate use. He was treated at a hospital in Moline, Illinois, and later returned to Paisley Park, according to a CNN Wire report quoted by FOX8.
Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson has been mostly tight-lipped about the investigation into Prince’s death and the evidence collected at Paisley Park. Following the autopsy last week, Olson declined to confirm that Prince had been taking Percocet, noting only that records were being collected that would provide further insight as the investigation moved forward.
Authorities have also moved to keep the details of the search at Paisley Park mum, telling the judge in their search warrant request that “premature disclosure of the details provided in the search warrant and its accompanying documents may compromise this law enforcement investigation by causing the search or related searches to be unsuccessful.” The court agreed, sealing documents in the case for the next six months or until such time that criminal charges are filed as the result of the investigation.
Despite the official cone of silence around the case, individuals who were purportedly part of Prince’s inner circle will undoubtedly continue leaking salacious bits to celebrity watchers and gossip outlets for the foreseeable future. Some recent stories suggest that Prince had a longstanding addiction to opioids, although accounts at this point are largely unsubstantiated and anecdotal. Depending on what is ultimately seized at Paisley Park, the whisper campaign to explain Prince’s demise will eventually be substantiated or disproved. Conspiracy theories will remain, of course, especially in light of the fact that Prince lived and died as a mysterious enigma like none other.
[Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images]
