Cory Monteith injected his fatal dose of heroin: coroner

Cory Monteith stands for a portrait at the Hazelton Hotel while promoting his film 'Sisters and Brothers' during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Sept. 11, 2011. (Aaron Vincent Elkaim / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The BC Coroners Service has revealed Cory Monteith injected the heroin that contributed to his fatal overdose in a Vancouver hotel room earlier this year.

Coroner Claire Thompson’s final report into the “Glee” star’s death found he perished from a mixed drug toxicity caused by shooting heroin intravenously and drinking alcohol. Experts consider injection to be the most intense form of heroin use, and riskier than snorting or smoking the drug.

The 31-year-old’s death has been ruled accidental.

“Monteith was found in a collapsed position on the hotel room floor. There was no trauma or injury observed and there was no evidence of foul play,” Thompson wrote.

Emergency responders determined the actor was “clearly deceased” and did not attempt to resuscitate him, she added.

The report also reveals for the first time details about what investigators discovered in Monteith’s Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel room, where his body was discovered by staff the afternoon of July 13.

“Examination of the scene revealed drug paraphernalia including a spoon with drug residue and a used hypodermic needle. There were also two empty champagne bottles and multiple glasses located on a nearby table,” it said.

Hotel surveillance video showed Monteith returning to his room alone at 2:16 a.m. It was the last time he was seen alive.

The coroner said Monteith had a history of illicit drug use with intermittent periods of rehabilitation and abstinence, which can lower a user’s tolerance.

The Calgary-born, Victoria-raised actor was open about his past substance abuse problems, having dropped out of high school and binged on drugs and alcohol on the street.

His troubled past spurred his involvement with youth-focused charities including Project Limelight, a free theatre program for children living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

The report is considered the final comment on the cause and circumstances of Monteith’s death, and the BC Coroners Service said it will not be revealing any further information.