Criminal charges arising from the investigation into Michael Jackson's death will not be filed before 2010, the Los Angeles Times reported on Monday.
Unidentified law enforcement sources told the newspaper investigators were still sifting through a mass of evidence - including complex medical data - and that charges were "months rather than weeks away."
Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, has been identified as a suspect in a manslaughter investigation into the singer's death which has focused on unlawful prescriptions of the powerful anaesthetic propofol.
Murray remains the focus of the probe, sources close to the investigation told the Times, adding that detectives had sought outside advice from medical experts about how to proceed in the case.
Murray has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and insists he responded properly when he discovered Jackson unconscious in the bedroom of his rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25.
According to medical experts, propofol is not suitable for use by private individuals and should only be administered in hospital conditions.
An unsealed search warrant released in Las Vegas on November 20 revealed that Murray told investigators that he administered the drug only after trying many other medications to help Jackson sleep, and after Jackson's "repeated demands/requests" for the anaesthetic.
Jackson went into cardiac arrest within 20 minutes of being injected with the drug, while Murray had stepped out for a bathroom break, the doctor told authorities. By Murray's own account to police, he did not call for help until 12.22pm, more than an hour after he realised Jackson wasn't breathing.
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