Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Death Details- 70 Bags of Heroin Found in Apartment
by Shannon KeirnanDetails are emerging surrounding the tragic and senseless death of celebrity Phillip Seymour Hoffman... and they suggest a much larger addiction than anyone had realized.
Hoffman was found, clad in boxers and a t-shirt, dead in his apartment bathroom on Sunday, a needle still in his arm. He was discovered by friend, screenwriter David Katz, and his personal assistant Isabella Wing-Davey, after Hoffman's estranged long-time girlfriend (previously, we mistakenly referred to Mimi O'Donnell as his wife) asked them to check on Hoffman.
He had failed to appear as scheduled to pick up his three children from a playground.
O'Donnell has reportedly been estranged from Hoffman for three months, kicking him out of their shared apartment once he started using again.
Near Hoffman's body, police recovered a burned spoon from his last fix. Nearly 70 glassine baggies of heroine were recovered from the apartment, along with some 20 hypodermic needles, and 5 different prescription bottles. One of the bottles contained buprenorphine, which helps recovering heroin addicts kick their habit.
The baggies were stamped "Ace of Spades" and "Ace of Hearts," marking them as brands of heroin often cut with the very strong painkiller fentanyl. They have contributed to 22 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania.
Police are checking Hoffman's cell phone records and security footage, among other things, in an effort to identify his dealer. The night before he died, the "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" actor withdrew $1,200 from his ATM.
"The direction of the investigation is going to depend, in large part, on the findings of the medical examiner and the findings of the lab tests on the drugs," says Deputy Police Cimmissioner Stephen Davis.
There is no indication at this time of any foul play, and investigators remain confident that autopsy results will indicate Hoffman's death was due to an overdose.