US Attorney, DEA join Prince investigation, was set to meet addiction doctor
CHANHASSEN, Minn. (KMSP) - Prince's representatives scheduled him to meet with a California doctor to help him overcome an addiction to painkillers just before he died, and it was an addiction specialist who called 911 when the late icon was found unresponsive at Paisley Park, the attorney for the doctor's family said Wednesday.
Representatives called Dr. Howard Kornfeld seeking emergency help on April 20, the day before Prince died, representing attorney William Mauzy said. Mauzy said the doctor couldn't immediately meet Prince, so that night, he sent his son, Andrew, a specialist at his practice, on a flight from San Francisco to go over treatment options the next day.
"He set into motion a plan to deal with what he felt was a life saving mission. That mission was to get Prince to a doctor," Mauzy said. "Andrew's purpose being there was to describe the Recovery without Walls program to familiarize Prince with that for Prince to go there for pain management and any addiction issues."
Mauzy said Andrew was the one who called 911 when a staffer found Prince in an elevator at Paisley Park and began screaming.
He added Prince needed emergency lifesaving treatment for opioid addiction when he was found unresponsive, and is concerned prosecutors will look to charge Andrew for bringing Buprenorphine pills with him, which are used as medication-assisted treatment to help people quit opiates.
"No drugs were ever administered. There was never any intention of drugs being administrated to Prince by Andrew of Dr Kornfeld," Mauzy said.
The 911 call transcript released by the Carver County sheriff's office details a dispatcher working with the caller to determine the exact address. Andrew was seized by the sheriff's office after making the call.
"Um, so we're, we're in Minneapolis, Minnesota and we are at the home of Prince," the caller told dispatch, who was able to glean they were actually in Chanhassen.
"Dr. Kornfeld was never able to meet Prince. Never talked to Prince. And sadly was not able to arrive in time to help Prince."
US Attorney, DEA join investigation
The U.S. Attorney's Office and the DEA are officially joining the Carver County sheriff's investigation into his death. The sheriff's office would not comment about the investigation and would not confirm any information about Kornfeld's role or the pills seized.
"The US Attorney's Office and DEA are joining the Carver County Sheriff's investigation. The DEA and US Attorney's Office are able to augment this local investigation with federal resources and expertise about prescription drug diversion. While this remains an ongoing investigation, we will have no further comment," attorney's office spokesman Ben Petok said.
Bremer Trust to manage estate
Prince's six siblings and 10 attorneys gathered on Monday morning for a 12-minute hearing at the Carver County courthouse to confirm Bremer Trust will remain his estate's special administrator. The hearing was quick, but the process of dividing the estate should take years.
Search warrant sealed
About a week after Prince's death, the judge approved a motion to seal the search warrant and documents related to Prince's death to avoid hampering the investigation.
The search warrant and accompanying documents will be sealed until any potential criminal proceedings are initiated, or until 180 days elapse, whichever comes first.
Carried unconscious off jet in Moline
Fire and ambulance records released Wednesday by the City of Moline, Ill. say Prince's bodyguard carried him unconscious off of his private jet after it made an emergency landing six days before he died at Paisley Park. READ MORE
The death of Prince
Prince Rogers Nelson, 57, died Thursday, April 21 at his home at Paisley Park. He was last seen alive at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20. He did not respond to calls on Thursday morning, which prompted his friends and staff to call in a welfare check around 9:30 a.m. on April 21. Prince was found unresponsive in an elevator at Paisley Park, according to the Carver County Sheriff's office. Deputies attempted CPR, but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Prince's property
Paisley Park has an assessed value of $6.7 million, but property records obtained by Fox 9 show Prince owned 15 properties in Carver County worth nearly $30 million. The properties were held under Paisley Park, Inc. READ MORE
Music vault
Prince had recently signed a big deal with the music streaming service Tidal and reached a settlement with Warner Brothers that gave him ownership of his back catalogue. Among the treasures inside Paisley Park is the so-called vault in the basement, where Prince reportedly kept the master recordings to hundreds of unpublished songs and at least two complete albums. IN-DEPTH: Future of Prince's estate up in air
"There will be a spike in income [when] people of that ilk pass away, especially in [their] 50s," said entertainment attorney Lee Phillip, who became Prince's lawyer when he was just 18 and represented him for more than a decade.