Bobbi Kristina Brown’s death was caused by immersion in water and drug intoxication - tragically similar to the cause of her mother Whitney Houston’s death - the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s found.
"The underlying cause of death is the condition which starts the downhill course of events leading to death and in this case is the immersion associated with drug intoxication," the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office said in a statement. "The autopsy alone could not reveal the underlying cause of death because of the long interval between Ms. Brown being found unresponsive in the bathtub and her eventual death. Thus, the underlying cause of death is based substantially on review of medical records, the results of toxicology tests, investigative records, and the fact that the autopsy did not show any other likely underlying cause of death or reason for Ms. Brown becoming unresponsive.
"The drugs involved included marijuana, alcohol (ethanol), benzoylecgonine (a cocaine-related substance), benzodiazepines (medications used for sedation or to treat anxiety), and morphine," the statement continued. "It could not be determined from toxicology tests whether the morphine resulted from heroin use. The other question which arises is manner of death. In other words, did death result from natural causes such as disease, an intentional act such as suicide or homicide, an unintentional cause (accident), or in an undetermined manner when a more specific manner of death cannot be established."
"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 statement concluded.
In 2012 Whitney Houston was found unresponsive in a bathtub, which sadly is just how her daughter was discovered in January 2015. Houston's death was ruled an accidental drowning, while heart disease and drug use also contributed, the L.A. Coroner's Office ruled at the time. A judge ruled to unseal Bobbi Kristina's final autopsy report following a motion filed by WXIA's parent company.
Bobbi Kristina was hospitalized for months. Although rumors periodically cropped up suggesting she was showing signs of improvement she never regained consciousness. The family in June 2015 announced the decision to move her to hospice care after months of being hospitalized, saying she was "in God's hands."
“Despite the great medical care at numerous facilities, Bobbi Kristina Brown’s condition has continued to deteriorate,” her aunt and legally appointed co-guardian Pat Houston said in a statement then. “We thank everyone for their support and prayers. She is in God’s hands now.”
She died at 22 July 26, 2015. Despite the show of unity among many family members, her funeral in Alpharetta became the site of a public family feud.
Bobbi Kristina was buried Aug. 3 next to her mother Whitney Houston’s grave in New Jersey. It seemed she might never rest in peace, though.
The suit was filed prior to Bobbi Kristina’s death and amended afterward to include damning allegations. Nick’s legal team lashed out swiftly and filed a motion to dismiss.
“The recent lawsuit against Nick is slanderous and meritless,” a statement on his behalf said. “Nick has been heartbroken and destroyed over the loss of his love and it’s shameful that such baseless allegations have been presented publicly. Nick has engaged civil counsel and intends to defend the lawsuit vigorously and expose it for what it is: a fictitious assault against the person who loved Krissy most.”
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No one has been charged in connection with her death although a woman who worked at the hospice where she died was arrested and faces charges in numerous Georgia counties.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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