Was Anne Heche Intoxicated Before Crash? Autopsy Released

Four months after actress Anne Heche’s death following a fiery car crash in Los Angeles, autopsy and toxicology reports released on December 5, 2022, show the former Hallmark Channel star was not impaired by illicit drugs or alcohol at the time of her accident. Though the actress did have remnants of various drugs in her system, the final reports indicate they were not the cause of her accident or death, as had been widely reported previously. Read on for full details…

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Traces of Drugs in Anne Heche’s System Did Not Contribute to Her Crash, Report Says

On August 5, witnesses reported seeing Heche driving erratically in Los Angeles — driving at high speeds, slamming into a garage, backing up, and then crashing into a house, causing the structure and her car to catch fire. After being trapped for nearly an hour, Heche was eventually pulled from the flames and transported to UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital, per People, before being transported to a specialty burns ICU at West Hills Hospital. Meanwhile, it took 60 firefighters to put out the blaze.

Many speculated that the crash occurred because Heche was intoxicated or high, including rumors that she had been drinking while recording her podcast hours before the accident. In August, USA Today reported that the actress was “being investigated for drugs and/or alcohol to determine if either was a factor” in her crash. The newspaper said a warrant was issued by the Los Angeles Police Department to conduct a toxicology test on Heche.

A week after her August 11 death, in a report obtained by Heavy, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner officially ruled Heche’s death an accident and revealed the cause as “smoke inhalation and thermal injuries” with a “sternal fracture due to blunt trauma” listed as another significant condition contributing to her death.

Now, the coroner’s office’s final report answers looming questions about whether Heche had been driving while intoxicated.

Per People magazine, the coroner’s office’s report reads, “A urine toxicology screen of urine was positive for cocaine, cannabinoids, benzodiazepines and fentanyl.”

But those drugs had been in her system previously or were administered to her at the hospital, as was the case with fentanyl for therapeutic use, so it was determined “there was no evidence of impairment by illicit substances” at the time of the accident.

A spokesperson for the coroner’s office told People, “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 addition, cannabinoids — a group of substances found in the cannabis plant, per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — were found in Heche’s urine but “not detected in the admission blood and is consistent with prior use, but not at the time of the injury.”

It was also determined Heche did not have alcohol in her system at the time of the crash.

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Report Reveals Why Anne Heche Could Not Survive Her Injuries

Despite attempts to save Heche’s life over several days, her injuries were complicated and devastating, according to the Los Angeles coroner’s report.

Heche slipped into a coma shortly after being rescued, and never regained consciousness. She was also placed on a ventilator and required multiple skin graft surgeries.

People magazine said the new report reveals that Heche’s burns were so severe that her body couldn’t effectively absorb oxygen, which led to the “anoxic brain injury” that ultimately killed her. She was 53 and is survived by two sons — 20-year-old Homer, from her marriage to cameraman Coleman Laffoon, and 13-year-old Atlas, from her relationship with fellow actor James Tupper.

According to IMDb, Heche first gained fame in the late 80s on the soap opera “Another World” and in films including “Donnie Brasco,” “Wag the Dog” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” On TV, she had starring roles in ABC’s romantic comedy “Men in Trees,” “Chicago P.D.,” and in multiple Hallmark movies including 2016 “Looks Like Christmas” and 2014’s “One Christmas Eve.”

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