When actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his Greenwich Village apartment Sunday afternoon, he had a hypodermic needle stuck in his arm. In addition, the police discovered five empty heroin envelopes in the trash and two full ones near Hoffman. Some of these envelopes had logos for narcotic brands, the Ace of Spades and Ace of Hearts. Police also found over 50 small plastic bags of drugs, some of which were empty.
Law enforcement is currently investigating to see if a deadly strain of heroin caused Hoffman’s death. This heroin, which is laced with fentanyl and used to treat terminal cancer patients, is stronger than morphine and can stop a person’s respiratory system from functioning. It has already killed dozens of people on the East Coast, including 37 people in Maryland and over 20 people in Pennsylvania. The drug, labeled as “Theraflu,” “bud ice,” “income tax,” and “24K,” reportedly is responsible for five deaths in New York in the past month.
It is uncertain whether this specific strain killed Hoffman, but it is a possibility that police have not yet ruled out.
Hoffman was supposed to pick up his three children from his former partner Mimi O’Donnell on Sunday when a friend found him unresponsive in his apartment. He was reportedly last seen alive at 8pm Saturday night, retrieving money from an ATM.
An autopsy of Hoffman’s body will be conducted today.
