Was Brittany Murphy poisoned?

New toxicology results reportedly suggest that Brittany Murphy may have been poisoned.

The 8 Mile actress was found dead at her home in 2009, and the Los Angeles Coroner ruled her death was accidental and caused by pneumonia and "iron deficiency anaemia". Five months later, her 40-year-old Simon Monjack also died of pneumonia and anaemia.

According to The Huffington Post, Murphy’s father Angelo Bertolotti ordered a new toxicology report after sending samples of his daughter’s hair for independent analysis, which reportedly revealed the presence of 10 heavy metals above the "high" level set by the World Health Organisation.

The Huffington Post reports that the types of metals are commonly found in rat poison, pesticides and insecticides.

Bertolotti reportedly tried to sue the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Coroner’s Office, accusing them of "failure to conduct toxicology tests" on specimens of Murphy’s hair, and claimed that her death was "incorrectly determined".

The lawsuit was reportedly dismissed, but Bertolotti secured the release of samples of Murphy’s hair, blood and tissues for testing, which he sent to the Carlson Company in Colorado for independent analysis.

Bertolotti and the Los Angeles Country Coroner are yet to comment.