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Nearly four years after Brittany Murphy's untimely death, her father has found evidence through a new toxicology test that the actress may have been poisoned (potentially with rat poison by a third party).
UPDATE 11/20/13: A new report shows that Murphy's hair dye likely proves that she wasn't poisoned, as toxicologists have questioned the accuracy of the results.
The 32-year-old Clueless star had been rushed to the hospital after she collapsed on her bathroom floor on Dec. 20, 2009. An L.A. Coroner autopsy report at the time ruled that it was a natural death caused by her pneumonia and anemia, according to CNN. Mysteriously, five months later, her husband Simon Monjack was pronounced dead from the same causes.
However, her father, Angelo Bertolotti, never gave up on finding the reason for his beloved daughter's death. He had ordered the L.A. Coroner to test for poisonous substances, but they admitted they never did test for it, according to Examiner.
After years of fighting in courts, Bertolotti was able to secure samples of her hair, blood, and tissue to submit for independent testing. The results were surprising—there were ten heavy metals found in Murphy's samples that were multiple times higher than the World Health Organization's high levels, according to Daily Mail. They reported:
"If we were to eliminate the possibility of a simultaneous accidental heavy metals exposure to the sample donor then the only logical explanation would be an exposure to these metals (toxins) administered by a third party perpetrator with likely criminal intent," the report says.
These heavy metals can be found in rat poison and insecticides. Murphy and her husband both experienced symptoms of poisoning—including headaches, coughing, wheezing, dizziness, and gastrointestinal problems, reported Examiner.
Two years after Murphy's death, Bertolotti and Murphy's mother, Sharon Murphy, both claimed that toxic mold from their daughter and Monjack's home were the cause of their deaths, and had settled with the home builders.
Related stories:
Brittany Murphy's Dad Sues Coroner's Office Over Its Investigation Into Her Death, He Believes Toxic Mold Actually Killed Her
Did Brittany Murphy's Moldy House Kill the Actress and Her Husband?
Brittany Murphy's Husband, Simon Monjack, Found Dead
