Despite having no prior relationship with Matthew Perry, authorities claim they acquired ketamine from the same supplier prior to both their demises.
After obtaining her brother's phone from the authorities, McLaury discovered a text conversation with the suspected dealer, implying her brother bought ketamine using Venmo.
"Following his death certificate issuance, I sent a message, 'just so you know, the ketamine you sold my brother was listed as his cause of death,'" she shared with CNN.
She never received a response. "I assumed she didn't care," she said.
On Thursday, Jasveen Sangha, the alleged dealer, was one of five individuals charged in an 18-count indictment related to actor Matthew Perry's death. Officials detailed a chilling connection between Perry and Cody McLaury, an aspiring personal trainer: Both passed away after allegedly consuming ketamine provided by the same supplier, a woman known on the streets as "the Ketamine Queen," prosecutors revealed.
While investigating Perry's demise, the US Attorney's Office claimed to have uncovered an illicit network comprising doctors and drug suppliers responsible for distributing ketamine, a potentially lethal controlled substance, that allegedly contributed to Perry's death in October at the age of 54.
Sangha has denied guilt on several drug-related charges, one stemming from the year Cody McLaury passed away – 2019. She was not charged directly in his death.
CNN contacted her legal representative for comment.
'Sense of validation'
At the time of McLaury's fatal overdose at the age of 33, he was living in Los Angeles. "He had solid friendships in LA," his sister said. "He loved living there. He was a kind soul."
McLaury's family started suspecting a connection between his decease and Perry's when LA investigators visited their home in Washington earlier this year.
Court documents reveal that Sangha searched online, typing 'can ketamine be listed as a cause of death?' after receiving McLaury's message.
Prosecutors cited this online search to allege that Sangha was aware that "unsupervised and improper use of ketamine can be deadly," according to the indictment.
In Perry's case, prosecutors charged four others, including two doctors and a live-in personal assistant, with providing the drugs to Perry.
McLaury watched the press conference announcing the indictments from her Washington home state. "It's brought up a lot of feelings. Some sadness but also feelings of validation," she said.
"I assumed she didn't care, that she was callous and selling drugs was her job. She was just going to move on with her life," McLaury said of Sangha.
Ketamine
Conversations about ketamine gained traction after Perry's death, largely due to its diverse uses.
Ketamine is authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration as a short-acting anesthetic for humans and animals in medical situations, usually via IV injection. It is not approved for any mental health disorders but has become increasingly prescribed off-label for the treatment of chronic pain, depression, and anxiety.
Esketamine, a derivative of ketamine, is approved for treatment-resistant depression in adults. The medication, Spravato, is administered through a nasal spray.
As additional medical uses for the drug are being studied, some experts have raised concerns about potential abuse or dependency resulting from misuse.
Ketamine has long been popular as a party drug, and a recent study showed the supply of illicit ketamine is escalating in the United States.
Using ketamine without medical supervision can lead to dangerous adverse events, including loss of consciousness and dangerously slowed breathing.
Perry's passing was attributed to the "acute effects of ketamine" and subsequent drowning, according to the medical examiner.
Perry was discovered face down in a detached jacuzzi at his Pacific Palisades home on October 28, 2023. Authorities reported at the time that no foul play was involved.
Cody McLaury's death did not make headlines like Perry's, and his sister said she "never thought anything would come of his death, but I'm glad he is included in this investigation."
"I'm just happy that justice has been served and happy that after five years, they investigated (my brother's) death," she said.
CNN’s Jamie Gumbrecht and Deidre McPhillips contributed to this report.
After the indictment of Jasveen Sangha and others related to actor Matthew Perry's death, McLaury felt a sense of validation as she believed her brother's cause of death was connected to the same supplier.
With the increasing attention on ketamine, its diverse uses, and potential dangers, McLaury hoped that the investigation into her brother's death would help shed light on the dangerous consequences of using the drug without medical supervision.
