The Los Angeles County Department of Coroner has just briefed the world on the initial results of the autopsy exam and a spokesman said the exam indicated no external signs of trauma or of foul play.

Craig Harvey, the coroner's spokesman, said further neuropathology and pulmonary tests will be needed and that it could take four to six weeks to get those results. Toxicology tests will also take weeks to return results.

Those toxicology tests will be important since the coroner's preliminary findings appear to rule out any obvious physical cause of death and increases suspicions that prescription drugs may have been a factor in the pop superstar's death. The spokesman did say that Jackson was taking some prescription drugs.

The celebrity-watch website, TMZ.com, is reporting that Jackson's family is saying he died of a Demerol injection.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times has a very interesting story about the physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, who was at the house with Jackson at the time of his death.

 

According to the Times, which said it got its information from a Jackson adviser, Murray was hired by the promoter of the entertainer's planned London concerts to accompany Jackson to England.

An excerpt:

The cardiologist being sought for questioning in the investigation of Michael Jackson's death was hired by a concert promoter to accompany the entertainer to London for his comeback concert series, a Jackson adviser said today.

Dr. Conrad Murray, a physician with offices in Nevada and Texas, was with Jackson when he went into cardiac arrest Thursday and police, who talked to Murray briefly at UCLA Medical Center, are trying to track him down for further interviews.

Dr. Tohme Tohme, a Jackson adviser, said Los Angeles-based concert promoter AEG Live retained Murray and the physician arrived in town less than two weeks ago.

Jackson and the rest of the company were set to depart early next week for England.

"I don't know the exact arrangements, but AEG paid him and he was going to go with [Jackson on tour]," Tohme said of Murray. Tohme said Murray treated Jackson for a cold when the singer was living in Las Vegas last year.

A spokesman for AEG declined to comment.