The death of The Notorious B.I.G. (born Christopher Wallace) has plagued the Wallace family for 15 years, as his tragic 1997 murder has gone unsolved. But, unfortunately, the family was dealt another blow last week, when the LAPD unexpectedly released Biggie’s autopsy report to the public. Now, the LAPD has apologized to the Wallace family for what they’re calling an administrative error.
According to the LA Times, the LAPD released the autopsy report on Dec. 7, saying that they intended to release the report “as an investigative tool, in the hopes that releasing the report would stimulate additional interest or bring forth witnesses or clues in the case.”
However, the 23-page autopsy report, which details the drive-by shooting death of Biggie, was released early and the Wallace family was not notified of its release.
“Due to an administrative error, the autopsy report was released prematurely. Robbery-Homicide Division detectives had intended to notify Mr. Wallace’s family prior to releasing the report,” read a statement from the LAPD.
“Our detectives personally spoke with the Wallace family [Friday] night, and apologized for not notifying them prior to the release” said Capt. Billy Hayes, who heads the Robbery-Homicide Division, which is investigating the killing. “Obviously this has been a challenging case for us to solve. We hope that witnesses or other people with information will come forward and give us the clues we need to solve this case.”
However, Perry Sanders Jr., an attorney for the family, has chastised the LAPD for failing to notify the Wallace family about the autopsy report.
Typically, autopsy reports are released shortly after the coroner has completed its investigation. However, in the case of many celebrities, like Biggie, an autopsy report is withheld while the investigation is still going.
Sadly, Biggie’s death isn’t the only unsolved celebrity murder. Check out some other unsolved hip-hop murders below. –nicholas robinson
