Autopsy Reveals Anne Heche Was Not Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol During Her Fatal Crash

08.12.2022 - 22:31 / glamour.com

in August, according to an released by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Caused primarily by fatal burns and smoke inhalation, made worse by a sternal fracture from blunt trauma, Heche's death at the age of 53 was determined to have been accidental.

Heche never regained consciousness after suffering “a severe anoxic brain injury” during the , wherein she crashed her car into a Los Angeles home.  Initially, blood and urine samples taken after Heche was admitted to the hospital indicated the presence of benzoylecgonine, an inactive cocaine metabolite, as well as cannabinoids, benzodiazepine, and fentanyl.

These findings are “consistent with prior use" of cocaine and marijuana "but not at the time of injury.” Additional toxicology results confirmed the fentanyl found in Heche's system was administered for "therapeutic use" at the hospital. The report added that Heche tested negative for alcohol. On August 5, Heche crashed her car into a residence in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles, thus setting the home and her car ablaze.

Before the accident, Heche was caught on camera speeding and driving erratically, even getting into a minor car accident blocks away from the crash site. Per the Los Angeles Fire Department, it took 59 first responders more than an hour to subdue the flames and rescue a trapped Heche from her vehicle.

The actor was able to communicate at the time of her rescue but slipped into a coma for several days before she was ultimately declared brain-dead and taken off . The Los Angeles Police Department announced its intent to investigate the incident as a when blood work revealed the presence of narcotics, but was subsequently an accident. By By Sam ReedBy Elizabeth LoganBy