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Bobbi Kristina Brown’s autopsy report finds drugs in her system, ‘undetermined’ cause of death

Whitney Houston, left, and daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown arrive at an event in Beverly Hills in February 2011.

Whitney Houston, left, and daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown arrive at an event in Beverly Hills in February 2011.

(Dan Steinberg / Associated Press)
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Bobbi Kristina Brown’s manner of death has been ruled “undetermined” in an autopsy report released on Friday that said Whitney Houston’s daughter died with several narcotics and prescription drugs in her body when she went underwater in a bathtub, which caused brain damage that left her in a coma for several months.

Investigators could not determine if her death was intentional or accidental and could not classify it as a homicide or a suicide, AP reported.

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The underlying cause of death in Brown’s case was “the immersion associated with drug intoxication,” the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office said.

“Death was clearly not due to natural causes, but the medical examiner has not been able to determine whether death was due to intentional or accidental causes, and has therefore classified the manner of death as Undetermined.”

The only child of the late Houston and singer Bobby Brown died in hospice care in July at age 22, nearly seven months after she was found face-down and unresponsive in a bathtub at the Atlanta-area town home she shared with boyfriend Nick Gordon. Friday would have been her 23rd birthday.

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The medical examiner found that marijuana and alcohol were involved in her death, along with medications used for sedation or to treat anxiety. Morphine was also involved but investigators could not determine if the morphine was a result of heroin use.

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The manner of death is similar to that of the late pop titan, who was found unresponsive in a bathtub the day before the 2012 Grammy Awards. The “I Will Always Love You” singer’s death was ultimately ruled as an accidental drowning.

Gordon, who was raised by Houston and Bobby Brown as their own and grew up with Bobbi Kristina Brown, remains involved in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by her estate and is accused of giving his partner a “toxic cocktail rendering her unconscious” and putting her face-down in a tub full of cold water, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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His attorney told AP that he was not surprised by the autopsy’s findings.

“He’s always maintained his innocence. I personally hope this puts to rest all the negativity surrounding him,” Randy Kessler said.

Bobby Brown and his family said that it was “unsettling” that the autopsy report had been released to media outlets while litigation was still pending.

“Krissy will always live in my heart and soul. I love my baby girl. For news affiliates to seek and obtain my daughter’s autopsy report, before anyone has been brought to justice for her death is mind blowing to me. Please pray for my family,” he said in a statement to The Times.

His attorney Christopher Brown of Brown & Rosen added that the family will continue its efforts in the civil lawsuit and criminal investigation.

“Bobby Brown has had to be strong and mourn his loved ones in a fashion that is foreign to most people. So public, so raw, with apparently no end in sight. Hopefully public indictments and prosecution will lead to private healing and closure for Bobby Brown and his family,” the attorney said.

Follow me on Twitter @NardineSaad.

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