Newly released police photos from the Brooklyn apartment where Food Network chef Anne Burrell died last year reveal a stark scene: dozens of pills, empty medicine bottles and cigarette butts scattered across a bathroom floor. Short NYPD video clips, released alongside the images, show Burrell and her husband walking through their building just hours before she was found. The material adds unsettling detail to a case that the city medical examiner later ruled a suicide.
Photos and Police Videos Released
The New York Police Department provided the still images and brief surveillance-style clips to People, which published them on Tuesday. The photos show a dish filled with pills next to the toilet and several bottles labeled Advil, Zyrtec and Motrin tipped over on the bathroom floor, lying among cigarette butts and a lighter. In the videos, Burrell is seen leaning against a lobby wall and riding in an elevator with her husband in the hours before her death.
Police Notes And Husband's Account
Police paperwork described in media reports states that an NYPD investigator found a handwritten "suicidal note" in the primary bedroom and journal entries described as "suicidal" on a bed, according to TMZ. Those reports say Burrell's husband, Stuart Claxton, discovered her unresponsive on the shower floor on the morning of June 17, 2025, and called 911. Claxton has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Police redacted portions of the report, and outlets declined to publish the full contents of the private notes out of respect for Burrell's family.
Medical Examiner's Finding
The City of New York Office of Chief Medical Examiner later ruled Burrell's death a suicide, determining that the cause was "acute intoxication due to the combined effects of diphenhydramine, ethanol, cetirizine, and amphetamine," according to reporting by ABC News. The combination included two over-the-counter antihistamines, alcohol and an amphetamine-class stimulant. The medical examiner's findings were released in July 2025 after autopsy and toxicology testing.
Burrell's Career And Legacy
Burrell, 55, was a familiar face to Food Network viewers, best known as a longtime co-host of Worst Cooks in America and the star of several other series and specials. Emergency crews were called to her Brooklyn home on June 17, 2025, where officers found an unresponsive woman who was later identified as Burrell, according to an initial report from the Associated Press. News of her death prompted a wave of tributes from colleagues and fans, and her family released a statement remembering her for her warmth and sense of humor.
The newly released images and police materials are graphic and may be distressing to some viewers. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or a mental-health crisis, you can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for 24/7 support.
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