DEA Probes Ledger's Docs

Thu., Feb. 28, 2008 8:02 AM PST by Gina Serpe

Earlier this month, authorities declared that the untimely death of Heath Ledger was caused by an accidental overdose of prescription medications. Now, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency is getting to the bottom of how, and from whom, the medications were issued.

The DEA is currently investigating two doctors in connection with the 28-year-old's prescription disbursement, one in California and one in Texas, neither of whose names have been released.

Officials have already taken pains to make clear that the investigation is currently dealing only with the legality of the prescriptions issued and is not an investigation into Ledger's death, with both People and the New York Daily News citing sources claiming it's unclear as yet whether there was any wrongdoing on the doctors' behalf.

According to the Daily News, the physicians are believed to have been the ones who prescribed the painkillers Oxycontin and Vicodin to Ledger, though it's not known whether both doctors prescribed both sets of pills or whether they were each responsible for one of the medications.

Whatever the case, the medications were just two of six potent prescription drugs found in Ledger's system at the time of his Jan. 22 death. The others included Xanax, Valium, the antianxiety and sleeping aid temazepam and the sleeping aid doxylamine.

At issue in the investigation, in addition to whether the medications were legally prescribed, is whether any "doctor shopping" took place to obtain the pills—i.e., whether the patient went to several doctors in an effort to score more prescriptions than one single doctor would dispense.

Earlier this month, just hours after the New York Medical Examiner's office confirmed Ledger's cause of death on Feb. 6 came word that the DEA had already launched its investigation and was in the midst of issuing subpoenas to obtain the actor's toxicology report, as well as information about the case from the New York Police department, to determine whether the amount of pills prescribed to Ledger were in violation of federal law.

Several days later, on Feb. 9, several close friends and family members, including Ledger's parents, sister, erstwhile former fiancée Michelle Williams and former costar Cate Blanchett convened in Perth, Australia, for a private memorial honoring the actor.

During the service, the assembled mourners jumped into the ocean at Ledger's favorite hometown beach in honor of the free spirit.