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Bobbi Kristina Brown autopsy planned, says medical examiner

Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of pop icon Whitney Houston and rap star Bobby Brown has died at the age of 22 in Atlanta, Georgia
Bobbi Kristina Brown dies at 22 00:48

An autopsy will be needed to evaluate what led to the death of Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of singer Whitney Houston, authorities said Monday, the day after her death.

In a statement Monday morning, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office says the time that elapsed from when she was found unresponsive in January until her death Sunday will "complicate" its effort to reconstruct events.

"Interpretation of autopsy findings and other information will also be challenging," the medical examiner's office said in the statement. "However, an autopsy could be helpful to address questions which may arise about the cause of her unresponsiveness and eventual death."

Bobbi Kristina died Sunday at Peachtree Christian Hospice in Duluth, Georgia, about six months after she was found Jan. 31, face-down and unresponsive in a bathtub in her suburban Atlanta townhome. She was 22.

A police report described it as a drowning.

Bobbi Kristina, an aspiring actress and singer, was the only child of Houston and R&B singer Bobby Brown.

"Bobbi Kristina Brown passed away July, 26 2015, surrounded by her family. She is finally at peace in the arms of God. We want to again thank everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during these last few months," Kristen Foster, a representative for the Houston family said Sunday.

She had been hospitalized for months in Atlanta -- eventually being placed in hospice care -- after being found in a manner grimly similar to the way her megastar mother died three years earlier.

Nick Gordon, who shared her townhome with her, said at the time it seemed Bobbi Kristina wasn't breathing and lacked a pulse before help arrived.

"The Roswell Police Department continues its investigation into the circumstances preceding and surrounding the time of the original incident leading to her death," the medical examiner said in Monday morning's statement.

The medical examiner did not release a timeframe for the autopsy, but said additional lab testing might take several weeks.

Stars came out in droves Sunday night on social media to pay tribute to Brown.

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