Singer Aaron Carter died of drowning in his bathroom after inhaling refrigerant gas and consuming Xanax, concluded the coroner investigating the star’s death, which occurred last November.
• Also read: Hilary Duff accuses the publisher of profiting from the death of Aaron Carter
• Also read: The Backstreet Boys pay tribute to Aaron Carter in a concert and Nick Carter bursts into tears
According to the report shared notably by TMZ and People, the Backstreet Boys singer’s younger brother, Nick Carter, lost consciousness due to the drugs he had been using, which resulted in him slipping in his bathtub and drowning.
A toxicological analysis revealed that Carter had inhaled difluoroethane, a gas that can act as a refrigerant. It is also used in compressed gas cylinders as a dust remover.
At low concentrations, difluoroethane can induce feelings of euphoria, but is highly toxic at high concentrations.
Alprazolam, an anti-anxiety sedative commonly known by the trade name Xanax, was also found in Aaron Carter’s body.
Multiple cans of dust remover were found in the home where Carter died, according to the coroner’s report.
However, the coroner’s report leaves those close to the singer skeptical. His ex-fiancé and mother of his children, Melanie Martin, was wary.
“The result of the autopsy does not allow me to turn the page. He claims the cause of death was drowning, but adds that he was wearing a t-shirt and necklace in the bath, which doesn’t make sense; why should he have gone into the bathroom with his clothes on? […] I don’t understand the chain of events and this report only makes us ask ourselves more questions,” she said in response to a query from TMZ.
Aaron’s mother, Jane Carter, said last March that she believed her son may have been the victim of murder and not an accident, the coroner found.
• Also read: Nick Carter breaks the silence and responds to his brother’s death with heartbreaking news