 Newspapers reported that no drugs or paraphernalia were present..According to a 1983 book authored by Joseph DiMona and Los Angeles County coroner Thomas Noguchi, evidence of narcotics was removed from the scene by a friend of Joplin’s and later put back there after the person realized that an autopsy was going to reveal that narcotics were in her system.The book adds that prior to Joplin’s death, Noguchi had investigated other fatal drug overdoses of decedents in Los Angeles whose friends believed they were doing favors for decedents by removing evidence of narcotics, then they “thought things over” and returned to put back the evidence.