According to police investigating the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, nearly 50 envelopes of heroin marked "Ace of Spades" were allegedly found inside the actor’s West Village apartment.

Police said that Hoffman was discovered unconscious on his bathroom floor by longtime friend and screenwriter, David Bar Katz, at 11:15 a.m Sunday morning. The actor allegedly had a syringe in his left arm and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was last seen at 8 p.m. Saturday night and was supposed to pick up his three children, Cooper, Tallulah, and Willa on Sunday, but he never showed.

Aside from the 50 bags of heroin, police said they found more than 20 used syringes in a plastic cup, several empty bags with the "Ace of Spades" stamp, some other bags containing an unknown white powder, and a multitude of prescription drugs that included the blood-pressure medication clonidine hydrochloride; the addiction-treatment drug buprenorphine; the attention-deficit disorder drug Vyvanse; the anti-anxiety medication hydroxyzine; and the muscle relaxer methocarbamol.

Shortly after Hoffman’s death, the family released a statement: "We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Phil and appreciate the outpouring of love and support we have received from everyone," the statement said. "This is a tragic and sudden loss and we ask that you respect our privacy during this time of grieving. Please keep Phil in your thoughts and prayers."

The New York medical examiner's office is expected to conduct an autopsy on Monday.

Watch a report on his death by the Associated Press:

Disqus comments