In a new twist to the circumstances surrounding pop star Michael Jackson’s death, it has emerged that his “drug-riddled’ body may have been lying in his bedroom for more than an hour before help arrived, a British tabloid claimed on Sunday, quoting what it sensationally described as a “bombshell” ambulance report.
It said the report made on a comprehensive official form showed that Jackson was clinically dead long before paramedics arrived at this Los Angeles home.
The revelation contradicts claims by Jackson’s personal physician Conrad Murray that the singer had a faint pulse when the ambulance came
The News of the World , which reported the claim, said that Steven Hoefflin, a close friend of Jackson had “confirmed” its details.
“I’ve spoken to a chief in the fire department who told me Michael was dead when they arrived. He had no pulse and was not breathing. They gave him an electro-cardiogram, but he was flatlined. They say he even had lividity, which meant the blood had sunk to the back, indicating that his heart had stopped a couple of hours earlier. This is the most important aspect of the report, as it means he must have been dead for over an hour, or probably longer,” Dr. Hoefflin was quoted saying.
The report, the newspaper said, was completed more than seven weeks ago, but was kept from the public by the police.
The 50-year-old King of pop died of a heart attack on June 25 after taking a cocktail of prescription pills.
According to his physician Dr. Murray, the singer was unconscious, but still had a faint pulse and the body was warm when he walked into Jackson’s bedroom.
