Brittany Murphy cause of death questioned, poisoning alleged

Brittany Murphy’s death may not have been from natural causes, her estranged father says, citing a new toxicology report that suggests death via poisoning.

The “8 Mile” and “Clueless” actress, who passed away in December 2009 at age 32, was declared to have died from acquired pneumonia and severe anemia. Her husband, Simon Monjack, died five months later at age 40 from the same natural causes.

Angelo Bertolotti, Murphy’s biological father, reportedly sued to get access to hair samples that had gone unused during the investigation following the actress’ death, then sought testing from an independent lab.

PHOTO GALLERY: Brittany Murphy on tour with the USO

The Carlson Co. lab report, obtained by the Wrap, indicated the presence of high levels of 10 heavy metals in Murphy’s hair and, barring accidental exposure to all the metals simultaneously, suggested the source could be “a third-party perpetrator with likely criminal intent.”

“I am hopeful these new forensic revelations will compel the authorities to open a new investigation as a court of global public opinion awaits the truth as to who was responsible for their untimely deaths,” Bertolotti said in a statement to CBS-TV Channel 2.

He was more forthcoming in a Tuesday interview with “Good Morning America,” saying, “I have a feeling that there was a definite murder situation here. It’s poison, yes, I know that.”

The types of metals found “are commonly found in rat poison, pesticides, insecticides, etc.,” Bertolotti said in an email to the Huffington Post.

An attorney speaking to “Good Morning America” noted that the report was from an accredited lab and “cannot be ignored.”

The coroner’s office told ABC-TV Channel 7 that it hadn’t been presented anything yet and stood by its report. The Los Angeles Police Department told the Wrap that it would be up to the coroner to decide whether to take further action in the closed case.

[For the Record, 1:32 p.m. PST Nov. 19: The headline on an earlier version of this post misspelled Brittany Murphy’s first name as Britanny.]

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