CNN: WHy don't we know yet what killed prince

Source: edition.cnn.com/2016/04/26/health/prince...amination/index.html

(CNN)  We might not know what killed pop superstar Prince for weeks or even months. And while forensic science-themed TV shows make it look quick and easy, and the technology has improved, modern death investigations take time.

The Midwest Medical Examiner's Office in Ramsey, Minnesota, performed the autopsy on the 57-year-old musician on Friday. Dr. A. Quinn Strobl finished the procedure in four hours, according to the office, but Strobl won't declare what caused Prince's death until after the office gathers all the relevant details.

In a case like this, the medical examiner's office does a routine but complicated kind of detective work that relies on reaching out to family members and doctors to gather medical history and understand what prescriptions the person was taking. The office might examine the scene of the person's death. It will send tissue samples out for lab tests, and it will want results reconfirmed. And this investigation happens in offices that typically juggle dozens of cases at once.

"When 'Star Trek' is real, you'll have a tricorder that can determine what happened to someone immediately, but it doesn't work that way yet," said Kevin Lothridge, CEO of the National Forensic Science Technology Center. "The technology is a lot faster than it used to be, but there has to be quality assurance in the lab to corroborate what you may have found in the field."


A very detailed process


Prince was found unresponsive in an elevator at Paisley Park, his home and studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on Thursday. Paramedics performed CPR but were unable to revive him.

He had been sick with the flu earlier in the month, according to the Atlanta venue where he postponed a couple of recent concerts. His plane also made an emergency landing after his rescheduled concerts the week before.

Though Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson doesn't believe that the death was suspicious, the department decided to process the scene "because this was an unwitnessed death of a middle-aged adult," he said. "That is also normal protocol. It is not different from what we normally do."

If a person is killed by something obvious such as a knife or gun, or if the person is older or has been sick with cancer, the medical examiner may determine cause of death quickly. When there are no obvious signs of trauma or suicide, the medical examination may be much more involved.

In Prince's case, the medical examiner's office decided to run a full toxicology scan that could take weeks. Toxicology tests are typically what takes the longest to run in a death investigation.

"It is a very detailed process that cannot often be done in a few hours or a few days or even a few weeks. More involved investigations can take several months," said Bruce Goldberger, a professor and director of toxicology at the University of Florida College of Medicine. "By now, the medical examiner probably knows or has a pretty good handle on the cause and manner of Prince's death, but you have to do all these other tests that are a part of an investigation to officially certify the cause and manner of death."


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My thoughts

So that's the reason Prince's death remains under a cloud of mistery. The only lead we know is that He had a flu earlier. There was no sign of any violence. Otherwise It could be quite obvious. Anyways, better to wait until the release of comprehensive toxicology report before jumping into any other fleeting conclusions.

This is going to run for a while I think. It's difficult to know what might have happened as there are rumours that Prince had stopped taking his medication for a yet unknown illnesss. Let's see how this develops.

their launching a murder investigation i heard

Eventually the truth will come out, hopefully sooner rather than later.