Michael Hastings Had Relapsed Into Drug Use At Time Of His Death, Coroner Says

The late journalist Michael Hastings had traces of drugs in his system when he died, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday.

Hastings was killed in a car crash in Los Angeles in June. He was 33.

The coroners who examined him found "traces of amphetamine in his system, consistent with possible intake of methamphetamine many hours before death, as well as marijuana," the Times wrote. "Neither were considered a factor in the crash, according to toxicology reports."

The ultimate verdict: Hastings' death was an accident.

The coroner said Hastings' family had been attempting to get him to go to detox at the time of his death, and that he had relapsed into drugs a month before he died, after 14 years of sobriety.

Hastings' death prompted an outpouring of conspiracy theories. Elise Jordan, Hastings' widow, rejected those theories in an interview with Piers Morgan in early August. She said she thought her late husband's death was a "tragic accident."

Read the full Times report here.