Autopsy Confirms Cocaine Found in System of University of Houston Police Officer Killed In Crash

Houston, Texas

The first University of Houston police officer to die in the line of duty had narcotics in her system when she wrecked her patrol car on a Christmas Eve call, university officials said.

In a statement released Thursday, UH Police Chief Malcolm Davis said Harris County medical examiners found cocaine in Officer Ann O'Donnell's system.

O'Donnell, 24, struck a tree about 1 a.m. on Dec. 24 while responding to reports of a possible assault or kidnapping at a fast-food restaurant across the street from Robertson Stadium.

UH police dispatchers lost contact with O'Donnell after the crash. Houston police soon notified them that one of their patrol cars had been involved in a single-car crash along the 4300 block of North 'MacGregor Way.

O'Donnell, who joined the department in 2009, died in the ambulance en route to Ben Taub General Hospital.

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