Tony Scott’s bridge jump was suicide
Anti-depressant, sleep aid found in his bloodstream
Film-maker Tony Scott had an anti-depressant and sleep aid in his bloodstream when he leapt to his death from a suspension bridge in August, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office said.
Investigators have offered no theories as to why Scott took his life
Preliminary autopsy results confirmed that Scott’s death, which baffled investigators and much of Hollywood, was a suicide, caused by blunt force trauma and drowning in Los Angeles Harbour.
The 68-year-old British-born director of such blockbusters as Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop II had therapeutic levels of the anti-depressant Mirtazapine and the prescription sleep-aid Lunesta in his system, investigators found.
But the findings shed no light on a motive for Scott to commit suicide. A coroner’s spokesman said a final report was two weeks away.
Family members have dismissed early reports that Scott was suffering from inoperable brain cancer and Craig Harvey, operations chief for the coroner, has previously said there were no obvious signs of a tumour. The preliminary autopsy report made no mention of any evidence of serious illness.
Investigators have offered no theories as to why Scott took his life, and a note he left behind did not explain the suicide.
The last person to see Scott was an onlooker parking his car on the Vincent Thomas Bridge over Los Angeles Harbour, who saw the director leap into the water just after noon on August 19.