Judge seals search warrant, documents in Prince investigation
CHANHASSEN, Minn. (KMSP) - A Carver County judge has 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.
The accompanying affidavit reads, "premature disclosure of the details provided in the search warrant and its accompanying documents may compromise this law enforcement investigation by causing the search or related searches to be unsuccessful, create a substantial risk of injury to an innocent person (s), or severely hamper this ongoing investigation."
Sheriff discounts reports of drugs found on Prince
Several national news organizations have reported that prescription drugs were found with Prince when he was found dead in his Paisley Park home last Thursday, April 21. ABC News, CBS News, NBC News and CNN cited unidentified law enforcement sources in reporting that prescription painkillers were found at Paisley Park and on Prince himself.
Fox 9 spoke to Carver County Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud on Wednesday. He said those reports were news to him and confirmed the sheriff’s office has not yet asked for the DEA’s help with the investigation. He added that the DEA is not part of the active investigation at this time.
Final autopsy results are expected to take about 3 weeks.
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.
No known will
Six documents were filed in Carver County probate court Tuesday morning pertaining to the estate of Prince. The documents list 6 living heirs -- Prince’s sister Tyka Nelson and 5 half-siblings. Tyka Nelson says Prince had no known will.
"I do not know of the existence of a Will and have no reason to believe that the Decedent executed testamentary documents in any form," reads part of the filing from Tyka Nelson. READ MORE
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.