miran darling: Whitney Houston's Hotel Room Had Traces Of Cocaine

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Whitney Houston's Hotel Room Had Traces Of Cocaine

Police found some cocaine residue when they searched the singer's room following her death in February.
By Gil Kaufman

Whitney Houston
Photo: Ebet Roberts/ Getty Images

Police investigating the death of Whitney Houston recovered traces of cocaine in the Beverly Hills hotel room where the pop diva died last month.

According to TMZ, documents from investigators do not reveal the quantity of the drug found but say simply that among the items recovered by police was "white, powdery remnants." Quoting unnamed sources, the site said the powder tested positive for cocaine.

The L.A. County coroner revealed last week that accidental drowning was the official cause of Houston's death, adding that cocaine use and heart disease were also contributing factors. According to the coroner's report, traces of cocaine were found in Houston's system at the time of death, along with Xanax, Flexeril, marijuana and Benadryl, which officials said played no role in her death.

At the time, it was reported that no cocaine was found in the singer's room when she died, but coroner spokesman Craig Harvey noted that cocaine metabolites were found in her system, leading them to conclude that Houston was a chronic user of the drug. A number of prescription pills were recovered in the Beverly Hills hotel room, but officials from the coroner's office said there wasn't an unusual amount of medication.

Houston, 48, was laid to rest in her hometown of Newark, New Jersey, on February 18 at an invite-only funeral service at the New Hope Baptist Church in a service that included Stevie Wonder, mentor Clive Davis and CeCe Winans.

TMZ also reported that Beverly Hills Police detectives are not investigating the rumors that a friend of Houston's allegedly removed cocaine from the room following her death because they are not convinced evidence of the drug was swept away before their arrival.

Houston struggled with drug and alcohol issues for many years before her death.

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