How to Access Michael Jackson’s Autopsy Report: Findings and Criminal Case

Michael Jackson’s autopsy report, filed by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner as case number 2009-04415, ruled the cause of death as acute propofol intoxication with a benzodiazepine effect as a contributing condition, and classified the manner of death as homicide.¹ The examination was performed on June 26, 2009, one day after his death. CNN published the full document in February 2010, and it remains accessible through news archives.²

Cause of Death and What “Homicide” Means Here

The coroner named acute propofol intoxication as the cause of death, with a benzodiazepine effect listed as a contributing condition.¹ Propofol is a fast-acting surgical anesthetic normally administered in hospitals and outpatient surgical centers. Three benzodiazepines turned up in Jackson’s blood, and the coroner’s office singled out lorazepam alongside propofol as “the primary drugs responsible for Mr. Jackson’s death.”²

The homicide classification is easy to misread. In forensic pathology, “homicide” means the death resulted from the actions of another person.³ It rules out natural causes, accident, suicide, and undetermined. It does not by itself mean murder or criminal intent; whether a crime occurred is a separate question for prosecutors and courts. In Jackson’s case the finding led to an involuntary manslaughter prosecution of his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, who had been giving Jackson nightly propofol infusions in a rented mansion to treat chronic insomnia.⁴

Toxicology Findings

The toxicology screen detected propofol at concentrations comparable to those used during major surgery. Three separate benzodiazepines showed up in the blood: diazepam, lorazepam, and midazolam, along with nordiazepam, a metabolite of diazepam. The presence of all three indicated that Jackson had either taken or been given each drug within hours of his death.⁵

The report also detected lidocaine, a local anesthetic commonly used to reduce the stinging sensation of a propofol injection, and ephedrine, a stimulant.¹ Propofol and benzodiazepines both suppress the central nervous system, and together they amplify each other’s ability to slow breathing. The combination produced a level of respiratory depression Jackson’s body could not overcome.

What the External Examination Found

Jackson measured 69 inches tall and weighed 136 pounds at the time of examination.¹ That falls on the thin side of normal for his height rather than dangerously underweight, contrary to some media speculation at the time.

Vitiligo

The skin examination confirmed vitiligo, a condition that destroys pigment-producing cells and creates patches of lighter skin. The coroner documented depigmentation across the face, chest, abdomen, and arms.¹ Jackson had publicly attributed his lighter appearance to vitiligo for years, and the autopsy was the first independent medical confirmation.

Surgical Scars and Cosmetic Tattoos

The report documented multiple surgical scars: linear scars on both sides of the face, behind the right ear, on the right side of the nose, on both sides of the chin, on the left chest, and on the back of the neck. The pattern is consistent with rhinoplasty and other facial cosmetic surgery. Permanent cosmetic tattoos were noted on his eyebrows, around his eyes, and on his lips.¹

Scalp Burn

A large area of scarring on the scalp, linked to a burn, explained the dark curly wig he wore over sparse remaining hair. The injury dates to January 27, 1984, when a pyrotechnic malfunction during a Pepsi commercial shoot at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles ignited Jackson’s heavily gelled hair and caused second-degree burns.

What the Internal Examination Found

At 50 years old, Jackson’s heart was in good shape. The coronary arteries were open and showed no sign of significant atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty deposits that leads to heart attacks.¹

The lungs told a different story. The coroner documented chronic pulmonary disease, with inflammation and scarring that would have reduced his breathing capacity. The condition was not severe enough to cause death on its own, but it added context to how his respiratory system responded to heavy sedation. Mild osteoarthritis appeared in the lumbar spine and fingers, and mild calcified atherosclerosis was found in the arteries of both legs.¹ Other major organs, including the liver and kidneys, appeared normal with no signs of long-term substance damage or systemic failure.

The Criminal Case That Followed

The autopsy report anchored the prosecution’s case against Conrad Murray. On November 29, 2011, a Los Angeles jury found Murray guilty of involuntary manslaughter, and he was sentenced to four years in prison.⁶ The charge carries a lower bar than murder: prosecutors had to show Murray caused the death through criminally negligent conduct during an otherwise lawful act, not that he intended to kill. As prosecutors put it at trial, no one had ever heard of propofol being administered in a bedroom until Murray did it.⁴ The jury agreed that giving a surgical anesthetic in a bedroom without monitoring equipment or resuscitation tools, then leaving the patient unattended, crossed from poor judgment into gross negligence.

How to Read the Full Report

Under California law, autopsy reports are public records. The California Public Records Act treats a coroner’s report as a writing containing information relating to the conduct of public business, and courts have confirmed that autopsy reports are records the coroner must keep and any citizen may inspect.⁷ Jackson’s report became widely available after CNN posted the document in February 2010, and the full file, including the cause-of-death summary and detailed anatomical findings, is still online.¹

Rules vary by state if you are looking to request a different autopsy report. Some states treat these documents as freely available public records; others restrict access to family members, law enforcement, and certain officials. HIPAA privacy protections for a deceased person’s medical information remain in effect for 50 years after the date of death, though autopsy reports prepared by a government coroner’s office generally fall outside the scope of HIPAA’s covered entities.

1
CNN. Michael Jackson Autopsy Report
2
Los Angeles Times. Michael Jackson
3
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Division of Forensic Sciences. Manners of Death
4
Christian Science Monitor. Conrad Murray Trial – As Case Goes to Jury, a Pressing Question
5
Hilaris Publisher. The Michael Jackson Autopsy – Insights Provided by a Forensic Anesthesiologist
6
PubMed. Medical Manslaughter
7
First Amendment Coalition. Access to Coroners Report