Sheriff: No Obvious Signs of Trauma on Prince’s Body

The Carver County Sheriff’s Office says there were no obvious signs of trauma found on Prince’s body when the singer was found unresponsive in his home on Thursday morning. 

Sheriff Jim Olson says, however, authorities have no reason to suspect his death was a suicide. 

“This is a tragedy for all of us. To you, Prince Rogers Nelson was a celebrity.  To us, he was a community member and a good neighbor.  To his family, he’s a loved one,” said Olson. 

Authorities were called to Paisley Park in Chanhassen around 9:43 Thursday morning after concerned staff members went to check on Prince.  They found the singer unresponsive in an elevator in the home.    

First responders attempted CPR on the singer, but were unsuccessful. 

Olson said the 57-year-old was last seen around 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night when an acquaintance dropped him off. 

Olson said the Hennepin County Crime lab was called in to process the scene since there were no witnesses to the death, which is standard protocol. 

Prince’s body was transported to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.  The autopsy was completed by 1:00 p.m. Friday.  Results could take several weeks.  

Authorities said Prince was home alone at the time of his death. They say he was a private person and it was not unusual for him to be alone. 

Multiple agencies are investigating the singer’s death.