New Details Emerge In Heath Ledger Death They Called Mary-Kate Olsen Before 911

January 23, 2008

The masseuse who discovered the body of Heath Ledger in a Manhattan apartment on Tuesday twice called a friend of his, the actress Mary-Kate Olsen, before calling 911, New York City police officials said on Wednesday. Police sources have emphasized that no illegal drugs were found in the apartment and that there were no signs of suicide. Tests on a rolled-up $20 bill that was found in the apartment found no evidence that the bill had been used to handle drugs.

According to the police report, 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, a housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, arrived at the apartment, at 421 Broome Street in Manhattan. At about 1 p.m., she went into Ledger’s bedroom to change a light bulb in a bathroom; she saw him on the bed face down, with the sheet pulled up to his shoulders, and heard him snoring.

A masseuse, Diana Wolozin, arrived to give Mr. Ledger a massage about 2:45 p.m. At 3 p.m., after Mr. Ledger did not emerge from his bedroom, with the door closed, the masseuse called him on his cellphone but got no answer. She entered the bedroom and saw him lying in bed. She took a massage table out of the closet and began to set it up near his bed. She then went over to him and shook him, but got no response. Using his cellphone, she used a speed-dial button to call Mary-Kate Olsen in California.

Allegedly, Wolozin told Olsen that Mr. Ledger was unconscious. Olsen said she would call some private security people she knew in New York, and hung up. Wolozin again shook Mr. Ledger, called Olsen a second time, told her that she feared the actor was dead and would call 911.

Ms. Wolozin called 911 at 3:26 p.m. to say that Mr. Ledger was not breathing. The call occurred less than 15 minutes since she had first seen him in bed and only a few moments after the first call to Ms. Olsen. The 911 operator urged Ms. Wolozin to try to revive Mr. Ledger, but Ms. Wolozin’s efforts were not successful.

Emergency medical workers arrived at 3:33 p.m., at the same time as private security guard summoned by Mary-Kate Olsen. The medical workers moved his body to the floor and then used a defibrillator and CPR, to no avail. Mr. Ledger was pronounced dead at 3:36 p.m. By that point, two other private security guards summoned by Ms. Olsen had arrived, as had police officers.

The police said that all five witnesses — Ms. Solomon, the housekeeper; Ms. Wolozin, the masseuse; and the three private security guards summoned by Ms. Olsen — were cooperative with the authorities.

The police conducted several tests on the rolled-up $20 bill found in Ledger’s apartment, but found no evidence that the bill had been used for anything improper. No illegal narcotics or alcohol was found in the apartment. Prescription sleeping pills were found near the body, but it is not known what role the medication played in his death.

The police said they were looking to examine surveillance videos from the apartment building and the surrounding areas but were also awaiting the results of an investigation by the New York City chief Medical Examiner’s Office. The office conducted an autopsy early Wednesday morning but said that the results were inconclusive and that additional testing was needed.

Posted in Heath Ledger