LAPD drops DUI investigation into Anne Heche’s car crash after her death
The Los Angeles Police Department will no longer pursue an investigation into Anne Heche’s recent car accident, injuries from which led to the actor’s death on Friday.
In a statement, the LAPD confirmed to The Times on Monday that there will be no further investigation into Heche’s case. The dismissal comes after the actor was declared legally dead Friday and after police confirmed that she was under the influence of narcotics when she crashed her car into a Mar Vista home, which caused it to catch fire.
“Any information or records that have been requested prior to this turn of events will still be collected as they arrive as a matter of formalities and included in the overall case,†Officer Norma Eisenman said in the statement. “When a person suspected of a crime expires, we do not present for filing consideration.â€
Actor Anne Heche dies after suffering significant burns and a severe brain injury last week when she crashed her car into a Mar Vista home.
On Friday, Heche succumbed to the brain damage and serious burns she sustained from the crash and home fire on Aug. 5. She was 53. Her body remained on life support to help preserve viable organs for donation, per her wishes.
On Sunday she was removed from life support after a donation recipient was identified. However, it’s unclear which of Heche’s organs were donated.
Anne Heche, who died Friday at age 53, was undervalued by Hollywood but did her best work in dramas like ‘Walking and Talking,’ ‘Birth’ and ‘The Third Miracle.’
Lynne Mishele, the Mar Vista resident who lost her home as a result of the crash and subsequent fire, said in an Instagram video Friday that “the news of Anne Heche passing is devastating.â€
“Her family and her friends and her children especially really have suffered a great loss, and my heart goes out for them,†Mishele added. “This entire situation is tragic, and there really are just no words.â€
‘This entire situation is tragic,’ said the woman whose Mar Vista home caught fire after Anne Heche crashed into it. The actor died from her injuries.
Heche was most known for her work on the NBC soap opera “Another World†and in several high-profile 1990s films, including “I Know What You Did Last Summer,†“Donnie Brasco,†“Wag the Dog†and “Volcano.â€
“The movies themselves didn’t always know what to do with Heche ... and so it was thrilling to encounter the ones that did,†Times film critic Justin Chang wrote in his appreciation of Heche’s work.
Heche was also known for her three-year relationship with Ellen DeGeneres, who sent love to her former partner’s family and friends last week.
On Friday, Anne Heche was declared legally dead, but the actor’s body was kept on life support to preserve her organs for donation.
DeGeneres was among the Hollywood figures who paid tribute and mourned Heche, alongside James Gunn, Heche’s ex-boyfriend James Tupper and the Daytime Emmys.
Heche’s ex-husband, Coleman “Coley†Laffoon, also the father of Heche’s son Homer, said “she’s free from pain and enjoying or experiencing whatever’s next in her journey.â€
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