Anne Heche's Final Autopsy Results Released

She was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol when she crashed car
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 7, 2022 1:40 AM CST
Anne Heche Wasn't Drunk, on Drugs When She Crashed
Anne Heche poses during the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on July 19, 2006.   (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

According to her autopsy, Anne Heche was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol when she crashed her car into a Los Angeles home in the August accident that ultimately killed her. Yahoo Entertainment and other outlets obtained the actress' final autopsy report, which includes the results of multiple rounds of toxicology testing. An initial blood draw showed narcotics in Heche's system, but additional testing was carried out to determine what drugs had been administered to her in the hospital. The final testing results found that the fentanyl detected in Heche's urine was given to her medically, and it found no evidence of inebriation, despite speculation that she may have been under the influence of alcohol after an image of her vehicle appeared to show a liquor bottle in the front seat.

A Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson also said at the time that Heche was under investigation for felony DUI. But the final testing results found no evidence that she was under the influence of either alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash, though markers of past cannabis and cocaine use were found. Per People, the autopsy found that Heche was burned so badly while she was trapped in the car for 45 minutes after the fiery crash that her body could not effectively absorb oxygen, leading to the "anoxic brain injury" that killed her. (More Anne Heche stories.)

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