LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Unconvinced that his daughter's death was adequately investigated, the father of deceased actress Brittany Murphy has filed a complaint calling for Murphy's autopsy specimens to be released for independent investigation.
In the complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, Angelo Bertolotti says claims that the investigation into Murphy's December 20, 2009 death was far from complete.
"Plaintiff exhausted all extrajudicial means of ensuring that his daughter's death is finally and fully investigated," the complaint reads. "In spite of his efforts, to date there has been no investigation, none of the potential witnesses and/or persons of interest have been questioned and only very basic autopsy procedures/toxicology testing has been performed."
Specifically, Bertolotti says that Murphy's hair and other specimens were never tested "for any poisons, toxins or heavy metals."
The complaint claims that arsenic poisoning is sometimes misdiagnosed as pneumonia and anemia -- which were contributing factors to Murphy's death, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office investigation.
Claiming that he wants to determine "a true cause of his daughter's death," Bertolotti is asking that the specimens -- including a bindle of Murphy's natural hair, a bindle of hair from an extension, and a sample of the actress' pubic hair -- be released to "the independent laboratory of Plaintiff's choosing to conduct any and all remaining toxicology and/or any other outstanding tests."
The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has not yet responded to TheWrap's request for comment.
(Pamela Chelin contributed to this report)
