DRIVER IN WRONG-WAY CRASH THAT KILLED 8 WAS DRUNK, POLICE SAY Reporting was contributed by Charles V. Bagli, Sewell Chan, Libby Nelson, Anahad O'Connor, Nate Schweber and Karen Zraick. She had a blood-alcohol level of 0.19 percent, and even more alcohol still in her stomach, so fresh that it had yet to be metabolized. There were high levels of a chemical found in marijuana, enough to pinpoint her last use at 15 minutes to an hour before her death in the worst traffic accident in Westchester County, N.Y., in 75 years. For all the misguided and well-meaning speculation about what may have caused Diane Schuler to drive the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway 10 days ago, killing eight people in a head-on collision, the real reason was stark in its tragedy and simplicity: She was drunk. New York State Police officials in Westchester on Tuesday released the toxicology results of an autopsy, revealing Schuler's state of intoxication at the time of her death, and explaining how the 5-foot-2 woman's vision and judgment would have been greatly impaired. The findings betrayed much of what had been known about the accident, as well as the emotions surrounding the loss of eight lives: Schuler, her 2-year-old daughter, her three young nieces and three men from Yonkers. They brought anger from relatives of some of those who died, and confusion from those who insist they saw no sign of any such behavior. They also raised questions about the police investigation and what, if anything, Schuler's husband and brother knew about her physical and mental condition on July 26, both when she left a campsite upstate in Sullivan County that morning, and at 1:02 p.m., when she called her brother's home on Long Island from her cell phone to complain of being disoriented. And even as medical evidence laid bare her alcohol and drug consumption, there was little to suggest why Schuler would drink so much on a Sunday morning, putting at risk herself, her young passengers and anyone who neared her path. 'We were victims the first time, but we feel like we're being victims all over again because she made that choice,' said Roseann Guzzo, whose father, Michael Bastardi, 81, and brother, Guy Bastardi, 49, were killed in a Chevrolet Trailblazer that was struck head-on by the red 2003 Ford Windstar minivan driven by Schuler. A family friend, Daniel Longo, 74, also died in the Trailblazer. 'How do you put five children in a car when you're a mother who's a drunk?' Guzzo said. 'We're mothers. I would never do something like that. It's crazy.' Few people connected to Schuler's family were saying much on Tuesday. In Floral Park, near the home of Schuler's brother, Warren Hance, whose three daughters -- Emma, 8; Alyson, 7; and Kate, 5 -- died in the minivan, police blocked off the street to give the family some privacy. A man who answered a phone registered to Hance said only, 'We're not commenting.' At the home of Warren Hance Sr., Schuler's father, a neighbor said Hance was too grief-stricken to speak. 'He's totally broken up,' said the neighbor, who would not give his name. 'He just buried all his grandkids. How do you think he feels? He just wants to be left alone.' For days, officials characterized the wrong-way crash as a mystery, and the lines of sympathy had swung toward Schuler, 36, of West Babylon, N.Y. There was talk of the Taconic, an unforgiving, confusing road where the police initially said there were few places for Schuler to pull over. There was a thought that her behavior might be explained by a medical condition that would resemble diabetic shock. And there were assurances from the State Police that there was nothing to indicate that drugs or alcohol factored into the equation. 'At this point in our investigation, we have no reason to believe that Diane Schuler was intoxicated or impaired by drugs in any way,' Capt. Michael Realmuto said at a news conference a day after the crash. But on Tuesday, the State Police revealed not only the results of the autopsy, but also another undisclosed finding: a broken 1.75-liter glass bottle of Absolut vodka in the minivan that Schuler had been driving. Officials said that the bottle, pieces of which were scattered around the minivan, had not been found immediately after the accident, in which the minivan was completely charred. 'It was recently found,' Lt. Dominick L. Chiumento said in a telephone interview. 'It wasn't discovered at the time of the accident. We couldn't really see it. But it was found when the accident reconstruction guys were removing the seats.' An autopsy found about six grams of alcohol in Schuler's stomach, and a 'high level' -- 113 nanograms per milliliter -- of tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive substance in marijuana. Elizabeth Spratt, director of toxicology for the Westchester County Department of Laboratories and Research, said Schuler's blood alcohol level was the equivalent of 10 shots of 80-proof liquor. 'She would have had difficulty with her perception, with her judgment, with her memory,' she said. 'Around that level of alcohol, you also start to get what's called tunnel vision, where your perception is changed so you can't see peripherally all the time.' The case has been ruled a homicide, and officials said a criminal investigation was continuing, although Maj. Bill Carey of the State Police said, 'At this point, it appears there will be no criminal charges.' From the start, puzzlement surrounded the crash. On July 26, Schuler loaded her two children, Erin, 2, and Bryan, 5, and her three nieces into the minivan to drive them home from a camping trip in the Catskills. Her husband, Daniel, also left the campground at the same time, with a dog, in his pickup truck, said Ann Scott, the owner of the Hunter Lake Campground, where the Schulers had spent most of their summer weekends for the past three years. Scott said on Tuesday that the Schulers seemed normal as they left and that she had never seen either of them with a drink -- something she is sensitive to, she said, because she has dealt with a loved one who was an alcoholic. 'When I stopped to say hello to her, the kids were yelling in the car, saying, 'We had a good time, we're coming back,' ' Scott said. 'The husband just waved like he usually did with a smile on his face. She was fine. I said, 'Have a safe trip home.' She said, 'See you soon.' And that was it. And off she went. It was as normal as apple pie.' Another question is how or when Schuler ingested alcohol or drugs. Using cell phone tower information and E-ZPass toll records, the State Police have been trying to piece together Schuler's route. Another possible source of information could come from Schuler's son, Bryan, who survived the accident. He was still listed as a patient at the Westchester County Medical Center. Carey said officials still need to further interview members of Schuler's family. 'At this point we're getting limited information from the family,' he said. 'We're hoping to get more from them.' 