Death ruled suicide
Friday, May 21, 1999 | 9:15 a.m.
Ms. Plato, who played Kimberly Drummond on the NBC sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes" from 1978 to 1984, died May 8 while visiting her fiance's parents in Moore.
Police initially said she died of an accidental drug overdose of a painkiller and Valium.
Dr. Larry E. Balding, the deputy medical examiner, said today that laboratory studies showed fatal concentrations of the drugs carisoprodol and hydrocodone/acetaminophen in her blood and the equivalent of seven tablets of carisoprodol still in her stomach.
The medical examiner's office ruled the death a suicide because of the drug concentrations, Ms. Plato's past history of suicidal gestures and the agency's investigation.
Ms. Plato had seen her share of troubles since the show was canceled. Her legal problems began in 1991, when she was arrested for robbing a Las Vegas video store and was placed on five years' probation. In 1992 she was given another five years' probation for forging prescriptions for Valium.
"If I hadn't gotten caught, it could have been the worst thing that happened to me because I could have died of a drug overdose," she said then.
Ms. Plato had appeared on Howard Stern's radio program in New York on May 7 to deny the claims of a former roommate who said Ms. Plato was on drugs. Ms. Plato said she had been sober for about 10 years, though she had taken painkillers when her wisdom teeth were removed four months ago.
archive
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Rain - possibly even snow - heading to Las Vegas
- Dawn Gibbons’ story: First lady talks about divorce, humiliation, fears
- Road warriors: No. 24 UNLV squeaks by Santa Clara, 66-63
- One killed, one wounded in shooting at party
- California’s trash could be our treasure
- Gorman cruises past Del Sol for championship
- Instant replay used for the first time in Nevada fight during Jon Jones disqualification
- High-speed rail proving ground proposed in NLV
- Notebook: Kruger says K-State will be ‘best team we’ve played’
- Las Vegas bowl game will feature BYU, Oregon State
Blogs
Elsewhere
TUF 10 Finale fighter salaries (1 Comment)
The Kats Report
Announcements on the Strip on a chilled Monday morning
Cowboy Steve Wynn recalls days of ropin' on Ralph Lamb's ranch (7 Comments)
Elsewhere
Dawn Gibbons' story: First lady talks about divorce, humiliation, fears (22 Comments)
The Kats Report
Kirk Kerkorian: CityCenter is 'simply the most amazing' Vegas project ever (33 Comments)
Robin Leach's Las Vegas Celebrity Watch
Great Santa Run: Unofficial 14,595 runners would be a new record
Elsewhere
Rampage Jackson to return to UFC (4 Comments)
Calendar »
- 7 Mon
- 8 Tue
- 9 Wed
- 10 Thu
- 11 Fri
-
Save Tony Verdugo fundraiser at Jet
Jet | 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
-
Rockhouse’s Rodeo Roundup
Rockhouse Bar & Nightclub | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Dom Irrera at the Riviera Comedy Club
The Riviera
-
Football specials at Diablo's
Diablos Cantina
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati











