As you know, Bobbi Kristina Brown sadly passed away on Sunday at the age of 22 after spending nearly six months in a medically induced coma. She was found unconscious in a bathtub in January, and never recovered from that incident. It’s unclear how she ended up in the tub, if she suffered a drug overdose or if she was injured. As of now, an autopsy has found no obvious cause of death and no injuries that would lead to death. So much time has passed since she was found that it’s unclear how much evidence would be left.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office released a statement confirming that the initial autopsy was complete, but said that it will take several weeks and require more information to determine a cause of death. Here is their statement:
The initial portion of the autopsy has been completed. The autopsy does not show an obvious underlying cause of death and no significant injuries were noted. No previously unknown medical conditions that could have contributed to death were identified. Additional laboratory testing will be performed. Subpoenas have been issued to obtain needed documentary information.
We do not plan to complete the death certificate or determine a cause and manner of death until all test results are completed and all investigative, medical, and other documentary records are received and thoroughly reviewed. We anticipate that these processes will take several weeks.
Interpretation of autopsy findings and other information will also be challenging. However, an autopsy could be helpful to address questions which may arise about the cause of her unresponsiveness and eventual death
TMZ explains that some of the additional information include drug tests performed by the hospital at the time Bobbi Kristina was admitted. They also has a follow-up story claiming that Bobbi Kristina often took baths when she was incapacitated and that this could be used as evidence that no foul play was involved in her death. Police are said to be looking at her live-in boyfriend, Nick Gordon, as a person of interest and this may work in his favor. In fact on the night of her mother’s death in the bathroom at the Beverly Hilton, Bobbi Kristina was said to have flooded the bathroom in her own room when she fell asleep in the tub and left the water running.
Nick is currently being sued by Bobbi Kristina’s family for allegedly siphoning money from her while she was in the hospital. He was famously blocked from visiting her while she was alive, and sadly found out online, not through family or friends, that Bobbi Kristina had passed away. He has released a statement through his mom, who confirms that their family is devastated to lose Krissy. Nick’s dad told Access Hollywood that reports claiming his son was suicidal or on suicide watch are untrue.
Bobby Brown has also released a statement. He said that “Bobbi Kristina Brown took her place in heaven.
“Krissy fought to get well for months, however she has succumbed to her injuries. Krissy was and is an angel. I am completely numb at this time. My family must find a way to live with her in spirit and honour her memory. Our loss is unimaginable.
“We thank everyone for the prayers for Krissy and our family as we mourn my baby girl.”
I can’t begin to understand what their family is going through. US Magazine also had the detail that they played Whitney Houston’s music for Krissy and sat with her during her final hours. That got to me. RIP Bobbi Kristina.
photo credit: FameFlynet, WENN and PRPhotos
Were there no legal/police observations about bruising written in notes upon hospital admission? I don’t think anyone would imagine contusions, etc. lasting for 6 months. Past broken bones, yes, but not signs of soft tissue beating.
I’m not in that jurisdiction but as I understand it all those records will be examined in putting together the final investigative report. The initial autopsy is commonly inconclusive, particularly if events occurred months ago. This will take time.
There are two things that may be happening here: first the police are quietly building their case making sure all points are covered ( in which case they are to be commended); or there really isn’t enough evidence and we will never know. For know we just don’t know.
+1. I’m actually of the opinion, at this point, that there is insufficient evidence for any charges, but time will tell.
When she was admitted to hospital there were reports of bruising and a tooth being knocked out.
This is such a tragedy all around, and really after spending 6 months in a coma what can they possibly find.
That Poor girl… Jesus…. But what were they expecting to find that would be evidentiary in nature 6 months later? I don’t quite understand
If the family hadn’t kept her artificially alive for months on end any injuries wouldn’t have had the chance to heal. If her boyfriend was responsible he will escape justice thanks to that. She died six months ago and should have been left in peace back then.
The mental image of BK’s family playing her mama’s music at her bedside for her has me sniffling. One of my favorite guilty pleasure childhood movies is the Rogers and Hammerstein version of Cinderella, the one starring Brandy and Whitney. At the end of the movie, Whitney’s fairy godmother character ascends up to heaven like an angel, and that part has made me cry every time I’ve seen it since her death. I feel like I want to curl up with my cat and a pizza and watch that movie now. If anyone is joining me, pajamas are a requirement.
I’ve got my PJs and some ice-cream ! I’m on my way Shambles! 😢
Would it be possible to not use a photo of her with Nick Gordon as the initial image? Please?
It just creeps me out to see him with her, I don’t believe he killed her but I do believe there was some level of manipulation and abuse and it’s so disturbing to see those photos knowing he’s profited from her death.
Something in his eyes was always off, I’ve noticed it in photos and videos.
Of course they’re not going to find anything now, I mean Jesus, it’s six months later. Anything identifying is healed or gone or out of her system. She didn’t have any drugs in her system when she was admitted? I thought there was a heroin rumor going around.
‘He was famously blocked from visiting her while she was alive, and sadly found out online, not through family or friends, that Bobbi Kristina had passed away.’
Sadly?? I don’t understand how anyone can have sympathy for him, sorry.
No surprise that they found nothing after six months. Even a broken bone would typically heal in two months.
And, if bruising was noted at first, a good defense could argue she was accident prone, careless, etc.
I agree. I think they were foolish to let it go on this long when the drs told them all from very early on that she was essentially brain dead and there was no hope. Instead they kept moving her here and there and meanwhile, all the evidence that would have been present of a struggle that might’ve caused her death has healed.
So sad
So sad. I also don’t know what to expect they would find on an initial autopsy. She wasn’t killed in hospice. She was potentially hurt over 6 months ago.
But I read she was TERRIFIED of baths and never took them? Which makes sense. The obvious cause of death is drowning, but her body survived being immersed for 4 minutes (is that correct?). It just seems bizarre that IF she was beaten and thrown into a bathtub the “cause of death” is nothing because her body did not die for months.
I agree. Something isn’t adding up. So, I’m waiting for further medical reports. This is so sad.
I thought earlier reports claimed she had a tooth knocked out? If so, pretty sure that didn’t heal.
I don’t know how they expected to find any evidence of injury six months after the fact.
I think the autopsy was a formality. It had to be done if they wanted to pursue charges. Yes, they will have the hospital’s toxicology report from when she was admitted along with all documentation of the state she was in–was she bruised, cut, bleeding, etc.
I think it’s really sad but I think both these women were products of their environment. And her father is not blameless. He most certainly contributed to it. I also think it’s sad that they left her in that state for six months when they were told from the start she had global, irreversible anoxic brain injury. It’s kind of like flogging a dead horse. I have seen this first hand. But I guess that’s how long it took for them to realize she wasn’t coming back.
Tania, I agree with you. Her parents were both pretty horrible parents. Her mother, as much as so many like to gush now about how close they were, had a serious drug problem and likely mental health issues. Their daughter needed more from both of them and instead just got money. It seems like her family paid more attention to her after this happened than they did most of her life, and even still…it seemed like it more about her money and who it would go to than her. Sad.
They are doing what that family of a brain dead Oakland girl is doing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahi_McMath_case). Keeping her on life support because they think God will provide a miracle. From what I understand, the Oakland girl is still being kept on life support. So basically they are pumping things into a brain dead body with the ultimate goal of taking down a hospital for damages. So unrealistic.
Sorry the hospital in question is first rate and it annoys me that this family is trying to milk them for money by keeping a corpse alive.
But can any of us say we wouldn’t honestly do the same? To have a beloved family member in that state, to be so emotionally distraught and not willing to accede the idea that all hope is lost…I dunno. I don’t know that it’s cruel or wrong or even irrational to think that just maybe this could be that one-in-a-million shot, despite what the doctors and specialists are saying. There’d always be that thought of “what if we’d just held on for one more day”. And to think of Bobby’s own announcements in concert that Bobbi Kristina had moved or opened her eyes (don’t remember the specifics) and therefore she was defying the doctors’ expectations may say a lot about his own hope overpowering reality, and thus how committed he was to the idea that she would be the exception to the rule.
I think everyone needs to chill out. When a family member passed unexpectedly, we didn’t get the final autopsy report for eight weeks (prescription drugs were involved). I think this was a placeholder statement and they still need to go through all of the medical records from the last six months.
Are they actually looking at Bobbi’s body 6 months after the fact and expecting to find signs of foul play, or was there evidence saved somewhere that they’re reviewing now that it is a potential murder case?
It’s all rubbing me the wrong way, because I feel like even if death no one is doing right by her. I hate to be the one to say this, but I feel like a lot of people in her family have reason to feel guilty and have no business acting devastated over her loss when they couldn’t be bothered to care when she was alive and so clearly struggling. I read the night the news broke that Whitney supported a lot of people financially and that when she died, they wanted Bobbi to continue that and when she didn’t, they dropped out of her life.
No matter how you look at this situation, this is the most tragic case of a girl who was always either someone’s keeper, or her surroundings were so volatile that she never had a chance to get her own life started because she never had any sort of security or normalcy. I can’t even express how incredibly heartbreaking I find this all, on a human level, not just because she’s Whitney’s daughter. I realize that Whitney and Bobby had their own demons, but as a result, they destroyed their daughter. Drugs and alcohol ruin too many lives.
The medical examiner isn’t an idiot, this is what they do for a living. Of course they know that it’s been 6 months blah blah blah, they’re not “expecting” to find anything. There’s the hope there might be some sign that points to a COD that will support or dismiss foul play (bones and brain injuries can leave signs that last a long time, even when the bones heal) but they are not going to be expecting much.
The autopsy is a formality that has to be observed. It was a case where foul play is alleged/suspected to have occurred and also there might be pending criminal charges so an autopsy is a legal requirement.
I agree. Autopsies aren’t automatic when someone dies while under hospital/hospice care. They’re obviously trying to get whatever evidence there is that couldn’t be obtained while she was alive but it isn’t the end all and be all. But an autopsy can show brain/heart damage or conditions, evidence of prior broken bones, etc that could point to possible causes of what happened. But it will be used in conjunction with hospital records, toxicology reports, etc
The hospital will have the initial admitting condition charted. They will have taken toxicology labs, hopefully some xrays if she has bruising or swelling since it could have been foul play. I think her documentation from the initial hospital admission in emergency and beyond will be merged with the results just released for a conclusive cause of death.
This is just so sad in all levels!
My heart goes out to those who loved her.
R.I.P.
This was sad, and predictable.
I can’t ever get my head around how many used this girl and didnt really help her through her darkest times, i.e. drug addictions and struggles.
As far as the Medical Exam, as others have pointed out — going to be hard to decipher as Bobbi was kept alive on machines for nearly 6 months.
Gordon already admitted they both consumed too many drugs that night —then it is just an educated guess she went in to the tub for a soak and drowned. I do think it was accidental just like her Mom. Eerie cooncidence.
Not saying Gordon is not a Scumbag leach who stole from her and manipulated her in the past. Its rather obvious all those things are true. This does not make him a Murderer however. But, he is culpable for doing the amounts of drugs he admitted doing with her on a continual basis and assisting to endanger her safety that fateful night.
I’m not a Lawyer, but there is a lawsuit here and some liability on his part it would appear. Unless she was buying them all illegally also– who was supplying her with all the drugs?
Like Oprah said– this child is finally at peace.
Agreed. Both those kids were emulating the person they admired most in the world. Devastating.
I agree. The girl was so messed up on drugs and I’m sure she and Nick were both wasted that night. But the family is looking to place blame – even though they barely had a relationship with her until they came rushing to her side when it was all too late. Even Whitney – partying with her young daughter right up til the end of her own life – Bobby and Whitney both doing drugs and partying in front of her her whole life. This girl never stood a chance in life. 🙁
Rest in peace little one, rest in peace.
That’s so sad. When this first happened I was hoping that she would make it, but it seems like people don’t often survive being in a coma. R.I.P.
My heart aches for poor Bobbi Kristina. This is so unfair. It’s so sad that she can’t get a do-over–just go back 3 years and get a therapist, move in with Oprah, whatever it took. So, so tragic. Poor, darling girl.
I’m cynical – I don’t think anything will happen to Gordon and I think there were reasons other than hope or spiritual or whatever for keeping BK alive. Gordon has been around for a long time and there has been too much crap over the years that I can’t help but wonder how much he knows and how much he holds over both families for them to just let things slide instead of letting her go much sooner and being able to gather evidence from her body before she healed. I just can’t help but think if they REALLY cared about justice, they would have gone the hard way, if only to get as much on him as they could. Instead, I feel like there’s some element of “oh well, she’ s in heaven now, that’s all that matters” and let’s not have the world look too closely at the inner workings of the families through a court case where all kinds of stuff can come out. It’s upsetting to think that someone is doomed, but it really feels like Bobby Kristina was. She just wasn’t protected from the leeches and predators, worst of all, the ones in her family and/or “close” to her family and she wasn’t protected from the cruelties of show business. It was a shame while she was alive and a tragedy that she’s dead. Money brings out the absolute worst in people.
if you watch On Our Own, the post-whitney reality show, she and nick were two peas in a pod, they couldn’t be apart for even a day, and were as obsessed with each other as could possibly be.
She had the best smile. Peace to her spirit, and comfort to those who miss her.