Anne Heche's autopsy rules out drug use prior to accident

The autopsy performed on Anne Heche confirms "no evidence of impairment by illicit substances" at the time of the accident which killed the actress back in August and marks a turning point in the investigation.

According to a Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's report accessed by People magazine, the 53-year-old actress was not under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident. Tests revealed that Anne Heche had previously used cocaine and cannabis but not at the time of the incident. On the other hand, although fentanyl was found during toxicology tests, this could be due to therapeutic use, as it was not found in her blood when she arrived to the hospital.

The Los Angeles medical examiner's spokesman explained to People that "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, no cannabinoids were found in her blood on admission to the hospital, but there are in her urine, which "is consistent with prior use, but not at the time of the injury."

Drugs did not play a role in the actress' death

The autopsy revealed that drugs did not play a role in the death of the actress, but instead it is believed that the flames led to her death. The severe burns caused Anne Heche to suffer a brain injury that ultimately killed her.

On August 5, Anne Heche was behind the wheel of her car when she crashed into a Los Angeles home. Both her car and home caught fire. Later, audio file recordings from the Los Angeles Fire Department revealed that Heche was trapped in her vehicle for about 45 minutes before she was rescued. The images taken of the scene went viral.

During the rescue operation, the actress tried to stand up while one of the first responders tried to cover her up with a sheet while taking her into the ambulance. The images sparked speculation on social media.