Authorities searched Marilyn Manson’s West Hollywood home Monday, reportedly as part of a probe into allegations of physical and sexual abuse that several women have made against the rock artist. TMZ was the first to report that Special Victims Unit detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had forcibly entered Manson’s residence early Monday morning. According to TMZ, Manson (whose legal name is Brian Warner) was not home at the time of the search. Law enforcement reportedly seized media-storage units such as hard drives for review.
Deputy Eva Jimenez of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau told the Washington Post a search warrant was served on Manson’s home but gave no further details. In February, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed it was investigating Manson for alleged incidents of domestic violence in West Hollywood between 2009 and 2011. While the women involved were not identified, several women — including Game of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco and Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood — have publicly accused Manson of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Some have filed lawsuits. Manson, who recently received two Grammy nominations for his work on Kanye West’s album Donda, has denied claims that his relationships were nonconsensual as “horrible distortions of reality.†Manson’s attorney Howard E. King did not immediately respond to request for comment on Monday’s search but previously called allegations against his client “provably false.â€