洛杉矶县首席验尸官奥德·乌克波向美联社介绍了该机构处理各类死亡案件的尸检程序，强调了无论死者身份如何，调查流程保持一致。[1]
乌克波以演员马修·派瑞的案例说明了验尸机构的工作原理。派瑞于2023年10月死亡，验尸官将其死因判定为急性凯他命中毒，同时将溺水列为次要因素。[1]乌克波解释道："医学验尸官从不将死亡认证为过量。"[1]他进一步阐述了这一判断的逻辑："如果不是凯他命的作用，他会陷入无意识状态，无法自救吗？"[1]
验尸报告中不使用"过量"一词的做法反映了医学验尸机构对语言表述的严谨性。乌克波指出，毒理学检测需要耗费较长时间，这是由于血液样本处理的复杂性以及对检测结果确定性的严格要求。[1]他举例说明，在某些案例中如Celeste Rivas Hernandez一案，死后的细菌可能产生酒精，需要通过确认测试来排除这种干扰因素。[1]
Los Angeles County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Ode Ukpo outlined how his office determines causes of death regardless of a person's prominence, explaining the reasoning behind conclusions in cases involving celebrities and the general public alike [1].
Discussing the October 2023 death of actor Matthew Perry, Ukpo clarified why his office ruled acute ketamine intoxication as the primary cause rather than drowning [1]. He noted that toxicology testing requires extended time due to the complexity of blood sample processing and the need for absolute certainty in results [1].
Ukpo emphasized that medical examiners never certify a death as an overdose [1]. Instead, they document the specific toxic substance involved. Regarding Perry's case, he posed the investigative question: "But for the ketamine, would he have been out of it and unable to rescue himself?" [1]
The chief medical examiner also addressed complications that can arise during toxicology work, citing the example of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose post-mortem bacterial activity produced alcohol that required confirmatory testing to rule out as an interfering factor [1].