In the heated days of confusion and mourning immediately following the January death of Heath Ledger, many of the actor's admirers loudly proclaimed it absurd to raise questions about the role played by the actor's friend Mary-Kate Olsen in his death and aftermath. New York police concluded their investigation into Ledger's death without even interviewing the elfish young actress, even though, as the Post repeatedly pointed out, she was told of Ledger's death before emergency responders and even though her bodyguards may have arrived at his apartment just before paramedics, who Olsen did not bother to call. Having stayed on the story, the Post today reports that federal drug agents are pressing Olsen hard to cooperate in their investigation into how Ledger obtained the powerful painkiller OxyContin without a prescription — and into what happened to the bottle:

According to sources, all of the drugs in Ledger's body and discovered nearby in prescription bottles were legally obtained from two physicians - with the exception of OxyContin, a powerful painkiller.



Investigators "are trying to ID the source of the OxyContin," a source said. "Did it come from a dealer, from a friend? If he had a bottle from a friend, was it taken by someone else before police responded? That is what is trying to be determined."

But Olsen, the tabloid claims, is refusing to talk until she gets immunity from prosecution. Immunity, one naturally wonders, from what? Would supplying a prescription drug to Ledger carry so much jailtime, if Olsen even did that? Or is she worried about something more nefarious — like tampering with a crime scene?

Or perhaps Olsen's alleged request is more routine, a pro forma form of legal hardball designed to bring authorities into contact on the most favorable terms possible. But unlike most parties to an investigation, Olsen is a celebrity with an image to uphold, an image that can be damaged simply by trying to get immunity in the first place — as today's Post story shows.

[Post]