New Mexico officials have finished their investigation into the Sept. 4 car crash that resulted in the deaths of country singer Kylie Rae Harris, 30, and Maria Elena Cruz, 16. The autopsy reportedly confirms that alcohol and speeding were factors in the crash. The Taos County Sheriff’s Office said Harirs was speeding at 102 mph at the time of the crash.
According to documents obtained by E! News, Harris died from blunt force trauma. Toxicology tests found that she had a blood-alcohol concentration of .28, more than three times the legal limit in New Mexico.
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Harris was driving at 105 mph when she hit the back of one vehicle, which knocked her car into the opposite side of the road. She hit Cruz’s vehicle head-in at 95 mph. Cruz and Harris were declared dead at the scene. The driver of the car rear-ended by Harris was unharmed.
Harris suffered abrasions on her face and legs, and fractured several bones, the New Mexico Office of the Medical Examiner said. A CT scan also showed multiple broke bones in her skull, as well as an abnormal collection of air in her skull. There was bleeding in the brain, and Harris suffered a broken neck.
“The now completed investigation supports what we suspected at the time of our initial investigation and my earlier press release that stated alcohol consumption was suspected and speeding was a factor,” Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe said in a statement to E! News.
Harirs was born in Wylie, Texas and got her start in the country music industry as a featured performer on the show Troubadour, TX. She released several EPs and an album. Her final release was a self-titled EP in March. At the time of her death, she was in New Mexico to perform at the Big Barn Dance Festival.
The singer’s mother, Betsy Cowan, said her daughter “struggled” with alcohol “on-and-off over the years.” In 2017, Harris was convicted of driving while intoxicated and was ordered to put an ignition interlock device on her car.
“We are heartbroken to confirm that Kylie Rae Harris passed away in a car accident last night. We have no further details to share, and ask for privacy for her family at this time,” Harris’ publicist said after her death. “Everyone that knew Kylie knew how much she loved her family and, beyond that, how much she loved music. The best tribute to her unmatched enthusiasm for both is to spread as much love as you can today, and listen to music that fully inspires you.”
In addition to her mother, Harris is survived by her daughter, Corbie, 6.
Photo credit: YouTube/Troubador, TX
