Santa Barbara Coroner Concludes Anti-Vaxxer Brandy Vaughan Died of Natural Causes

Santa Barbara’s coroner concluded that nationally renowned anti-vax activist Brandy Vaughan died at age 44 of natural causes on December 7 at her Santa Barbara home on East Sola Street. 

Vaughan, who attended UC Santa Barbara, was a former pharmaceutical representative who would start two organizations highly critical of Big Pharma and the mandatory vaccination of school-aged children as a requirement to attend school. According to the Coroner’s report, Vaughan died of bilateral pulmonary thromboembolus, otherwise known as a blood clot in an artery. Emergency medical responders tried to revive Vaughan after her 9-year-old son discovered her body, but without success. 

Police investigators determined there was no sign of foul play, but due to Vaughan’s high profile in the anti-vaccination movement, Coroner’s officials opted to give her death more careful scrutiny to head off the potential proliferation of conspiracy theories. Her remains were subjected to an autopsy, “an in-depth panel of toxicology screenings, interviews,” and a review of her medical record.