MINNEAPOLIS – As the state of Minnesota ends its investigation into Prince’s death without criminal charges, federal authorities say they haven’t gotten any credible evidence to support charges either.

Prince was 57 when he was found alone and unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate on April 21, 2016.

Carver County Attorney Mark Metz announced Thursday that investigators had found no evidence to charge anyone in the case. He said Prince thought he was taking Vicodin pills, not the fentanyl that killed him, and there was no evidence anyone around Prince knew the pills were counterfeit.

After Metz’s announcement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis issued a statement saying it hasn’t received any credible evidence that would support federal criminal charges. The office said it wouldn’t comment further.

A law enforcement official close to the investigation told the Associated Press that the federal investigation is now inactive unless new information emerges. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the case remains open.

A newly unsealed federal search warrant says a Minnesota doctor who treated Prince in the weeks before he died expressed concern that the musician was suffering from opiate withdrawal.

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The document unsealed Thursday said Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg saw Prince on April 7, 2016, at the request of Prince’s friend, Kirk Johnson, and prescribed Vitamin D and ondansetron under Johnson’s name.

The document says Johnson called the doctor on April 14 and asked him to prescribe a pain medication for Prince. Authorities say Schulenberg prescribed oxycodone for Prince, again under Johnson’s name. Schulenberg disputes that, but is paying $30,000 to settle a civil violation.

The doctor also saw Prince on April 20 when Prince was reporting feeling antsy. A urinalysis tested positive for opioids.

Prince was found dead of a fentanyl overdose the next day. The doctor is not facing criminal charges and his attorney says he had no role in Prince’s death.

Associated Press writer Amy Forliti contributed to this report.


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