Earlier this year actress Anne Heche passed away following a terrible car crash that left her severely burned. Following the event it was far from clear exactly what had caused the accident as the actress had reportedly been speeding and driving erratically. Now the toxicology results and the autopsy have been released, but they provide very few answers.
According to People, tests of Anne Heche’s blood and urine show that she had used both cocaine and cannabis at some point prior to the accident. However, there is no evidence that their use impaired Heche’s ability to drive, because what was found indicated that she used the substances at some point in the past, but not at the time of accident. According to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner…
The hospital admission blood showed the presence of benzoylecgonine, the inactive metabolite of cocaine, which means she used in the past but not at the time of the crash.
In the case of cocaine, her body had reportedly metabolized whatever she had taken previously, so it was not impairing her physically. The cannabinoids found in Heche’s system were found in urine but not in her blood, which is “consistent with prior use” but not at the time of the accident. The only other substance found in Heche’s body was fentanyl, but that wasn’t found in her body when she was admitted to the hospital, only in the autopsy, so it appears it was given to her as part of her treatment. The spokesman continued…
This is supported by the lack of fentanyl in the blood specimen drawn at admission to the hospital.
In August, Anne Heche was involved in a pair of single car accidents in quick succession when she crashed her car into an apartment building in a neighborhood in Southern California, then left the scene of that accident, only to crash into a house a short time later. The second crash started a fire that destroyed the home and trapped the actress in her vehicle. Anne Heche remained in a coma for a week before she was declared legally dead, though her body was kept alive for a few more days to allow for organ donation.
The autopsy lists the official cause of death as an “anoxic brain injury” caused by a lack of oxygen. The lack of oxygen was caused by the severe burns preventing her body from absorbing oxygen.
The autopsy report comes on the heels of what appears to be a settlement over Anne Heche’s estate. The actress’ died with no will, leading to a court battle. This resulted in her son and former partner battling over control for the several months since her death. Heche’s son Homer Laffoon has been named administrator of the estate, valued at about $400,000.
