Heiress Casey Johnson found dead in Los Angeles

Casey Johnson, 30, whose father owns the New York Jets American football team, had a history of alcohol and drug abuse.

Detectives, who discovered her body at her West Hollywood home on Monday morning, said there was no evidence of foul play but are awaiting the results of toxicology tests.

Officials were unable to provide a time of death and there was speculation yesterday that she may have been dead for days.

Miss Johnson, whose hard-partying ways had led to estrangement from her family, was reportedly "engaged" to Tila Tequila, a bisexual star of a US reality television show.

After the body was found, Tequila – who told a celebrity newsite she had a row with Miss Johnson last week – said her girlfriend's phone had been shut down since December 29.

At a Hollywood showbusiness party a few weeks ago, a witness told Fox News that Tequila spent the night holding up her Miss Johnson, who could "hardly stand straight".

A police spokesman said: "We do have an investigation that's in progress. The term 'apparent natural [causes]' has been used but we're still trying to get more information."

Miss Johnson, whose great-great-grandfather, Robert Wood Johnson, co-founded the famous pharmaceutical empire, blamed some of her problems on her spoilt upbringing, describing the family money as "golden handcuffs".

Growing up in Manhattan's wealthy Upper East Side, she and her fellow heiress friends Paris and Nicky Hilton were featured in a 2002 documentary called The It Girls.

She had repeatedly gone into addiction rehabilitation programmes without success and had been reportedly cut off financially by her parents over her continuing drug problems and unruly behaviour.

She was also fighting a custody battle with her mother, Sale, over her daughter, Ava-Monroe, whom she adopted from Kazakhstan in 2007.

Miss Johnson's mother took custody of the child at the beginning of last year after she was found to be living in squalor and under the influence of drugs.

Later that year, Miss Johnson was involved in a turbulent and public relationship with Courtenay Semel, the daughter of a former Yahoo! Chief executive, who at one point allegedly set light to her hair.

Last month, she was arrested for allegedly breaking into the home of Jasmine Lennard, another reality television star and former girlfriend, and stealing jewellery, clothes and shoes.

Miss Johnson was one of three daughters from the first marriage of Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson IV, an American businessman who paid £393 million for the Jets – one of the biggest ever deals for a US sports team.

Mr Johnson has focused much of his philanthropy work on fighting child diabetes after Miss Johnson was diagnosed with the disease. She and her parents co-wrote a book called Managing Your Child's Diets.

In a statement, the Johnson family said it was "mourning its tragic loss, and asks for privacy during this very difficult time".

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