Children & Family Services Investigating Welfare Of Michael Jackson’s Children

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Michael Jackson,Dr. Conrad Murray,TV One,Katherine Jackson,Debbie Rowe
 
 
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  • Michael Jackson with his kids Prince and Paris in London on October 12, 2005
  • Michael Jackson signs an autograph as he walks with his children, Paris and Prince, while visiting Harrods October 12, 2005 in London, England

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    Michael Jackson with his kids Prince and Paris in London on October 12, 2005
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    Michael Jackson signs an autograph as he walks with his children, Paris and Prince, while visiting Harrods October 12, 2005 in London, England
 
 

FIRST PUBLISHED: July 4, 2009 8:48 PM EDT
LAST UPDATED: July 4, 2009 9:02 PM EDT

By George Larrimore

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

Access Hollywood has learned that the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is conducting an investigation into the welfare of Michael Jackson’s three children, in light of the unanswered questions about his death.

Jackson’s three children, Prince Michael I, Paris Michael Katherine and Prince Michael II, were in the singer’s rented Holmby Hills mansion when he suffered what, so far, has been described as an irregular heartbeat. A 911 call was placed and an ambulance was summoned to the house on Thursday, June 25th. A short time later Jackson was pronounced dead at UCLA Medical Center.

DCFS was alerted after Jackson’s live-in physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, gave Emergency Room personnel a list of medications his patient had been taking. A person familiar with the investigation told Access that the list reflected a “copious amount of drugs.”

After Jackson’s death, the children were taken to the Jackson family compound in Encino, Calif., where they are under the care of family matriarch, Katherine Jackson, and other family members.

Just who will ultimately end up with custody of the children will likely be the subject of a legal battle between Katherine Jackson and the biological mother, Debbie Rowe.

Michael Jackson stated in his will, made public last week, that he wanted his mother to have custody and that if she were incapacitated, his long-time friend Diana Ross should take on parental duties.

The investigation, which falls under a category known as Caretaker Absence or Incapacity, involves talking with the children about their life while Jackson was alive, including what, if any, exposure they had to drug use in the house by their father.

The investigators will also look into conditions at the Encino house, such as who would care for the children should Katherine not be available. The investigation is expected to take a month but could be extended, depending on the results of toxicology tests done as part of Michael Jackson’s autopsy. Those results are expected in approximately two weeks.

Representatives of Dr. Murray and DCFS have so far not responded to calls and e-mails.

Copyright 2009 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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