Disturbing Details Discovered In Bobbi Kristina Brown's Autopsy Report
The unusual death of Bobbi Kristina Brown in 2015 left many wondering what exactly happened to this remarkable young woman. She grew up in the spotlight as the only child of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. Born in 1993, Brown was adored by her parents. "There's been nothing more incredible in my life than having her," her mother told Rolling Stone. She had apparently inherited some of her parents' vocal talents, appearing with her mother on "Good Morning America" to sing "My Love Is Your Love" in 2009 (via CNN).
Brown was only 18 years old when her mother died. Whitney Houston died on February 11, 2012, after being found lying face down in her bathtub. Houston's death was declared an accidental drowning, but heart disease and her use of cocaine were considered contributing factors. Brown allowed TV viewers to have an inside look in her life after this tremendous loss by appearing on the 2012 reality series "The Houstons: On Our Own." The show centered around Brown's uncle Gary Houston and his wife Patricia, and how they looked after Brown and their own daughter while managing Whitney Houston's estate (via IMDb). Brown appeared on the documentary program with her boyfriend, Nick Gordon. She also made a guest appearance on the TV dramatic comedy "For Better or Worse."
Brown found unconscious
In only a short time, Bobbi Kristina Brown went from budding television star to a person battling for her life. She was found under eerily similar circumstances to her mother, nearly three years after Whitney Houston's death. Like her mother, Brown was found unconscious in a bathtub in her home in Roswell, Georgia. Her body had been face down when she was discovered on January 31, 2015 (via CNN). According to Entertainment Tonight, her boyfriend Nick Gordon had done CPR until help arrived. She was taken to North Fulton Hospital and later placed in a medically induced coma.
Brown's family released a statement, saying that "Bobbi Kristina is fighting for her life and is surrounded by immediate family" (via Entertainment Tonight). While her father Bobby Brown tried to remain hopeful that she would recover, her condition eventually began to deteriorate. She moved to a hospice facility near Atlanta that June. Brown died there on July 26, 2015. She was only 22 years old.
Autopsy results sealed for months
In the wake of Bobbi Kristina Brown's death, stories circulated about what led to her tragic end. Her estate actually filed a wrongful death suit against her boyfriend Nick Gordon, claiming that he had beaten her and given her a "toxic cocktail" (via CNN). Brown's father, Bobby Brown, was also vocal about his belief that Gordon was to blame for his daughter's death. The results of her autopsy were initially sealed at the request of District Attorney Paul Howard for "valid public safety and investigative reasons," according to USA Today. It wasn't until March 2016 that the details surrounding Brown's death were revealed.
According to the autopsy, Brown had alcohol, marijuana, and morphine as well as prescription medication for sedation or anxiety in her system at the time of her death (via ABC News). There was also a substance connected to cocaine present. Her death was determined to be the result of lobar pneumonia, which occurred because she was facedown in the water while experiencing intoxication from an array of drugs, and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, meaning her brain was damaged from the lack of oxygen.
The family blamed her boyfriend
While the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office was able to release information regarding what contributed to Bobbi Kristina Brown's death, it couldn't shed any light on what led up to her death. In a statement, the office said it "has not been able to determine whether death was due to intentional or accidental causes, and has therefore classified the manner of death as undetermined" (via ABC News). Brown's autopsy did, however, show that she had a number of scars on her body (via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). She was also missing several teeth.
Bobby Brown believed that she had been abused by her boyfriend. In her memory, he established the Bobbi Kristina Serenity House, which is a safe haven for those experiencing domestic violence. While Nick Gordon was never criminally charged in the case, he was declared "legally responsible" for her death in 2016 in the civil lawsuit brought by her estate (via Rolling Stone). Gordon was ordered to pay $36 million to her estate. He died in January 2020, after overdosing on heroin in a Florida hotel (via The Hollywood Reporter).
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).