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.
After the crash, UH officials hired an outside firm to examine training, police and management responses at the department. The review is ongoing, officials said Thursday.
"The welfare of the campus community remains the UH Department of Public Safety's top priority and the university supports that commitment," officials said in a statement.
Their statement did not indicate how much cocaine was found in O'Donnell's system or whether it might have played a part in the crash.
O'Donnell drove through a curve on North MacGregor before her patrol car struck an oak tree in a front yard.
Residents in the area who ran to the scene said O'Donnell was wearing a seat belt. They called out to her but she did not respond.
The force of the impact caved in the driver's side of the patrol car. O'Donnell was eventually freed after rescue crews pulled away the door on the passenger's side.
O'Donnell was born in Nassau Bay and spent most of her childhood in Galveston. She graduated from Ball High School in 2004.
She spent a year at the UH, then moved back to the island and attended Galveston College while working part-time in retail on the Strand.
O'Donnell earned her Texas peace officer certification after graduating from the Galveston College Law Enforcement Academy. She was hired by UH six months later.
On Thursday, officials declined to make any other statements about the case.