Heath autopsy didn't tell cause of death

NEW YORK, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- An autopsy performed on Heath Ledger's body Wednesday in New York reportedly left the cause of the 28-year-old actor's death undetermined.

Ledger, the Australian star of "Brokeback Mountain" and "I'm Not There," was found dead Tuesday afternoon in the Manhattan apartment he rented.

Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for New York's chief medical examiner, Dr. Charles S. Hirsch, told The New York Times results of the post-mortem examination proved inconclusive.

Borakove said more blood and tissue testing needs to be done before the manner and cause of Ledger's death can be determined.

She told the Times the process could take 10 days to two weeks.

"If you have no apparent cause, you have to do further testing," she said, adding no reason for his death has been eliminated.

Borakove also said Ledger's corpse was ready to be released to his family for burial.

"We don't need to keep the body once the family is ready," she told the newspaper.