On January 1, actor Tommy Lee Jones and his family suffered a tragedy.
Victoria Jones, his adult daughter, passed away. It was a suspected overdose.
Reports soon revealed that the actress had struggled with substance abuse over the years.
A new report reveals that Victoria was facing drug-related charges — with a court date mere weeks after her death.
At the time of her tragic death, Victoria Jones was facing criminal charges
Early in the morning on Thursday, January 1, emergency responders pronounced Victoria Jones dead.
She had been found at Fairmont San Francisco.
Those responding to the emergency call suspected an overdose as the cause of death.
Her family — which includes famous actor Tommy Lee Jones, her father — put out a brief statement the following day.
“We appreciate all of the kind words, thoughts, and prayers,” the Jones family expressed. “Please respect our privacy during this difficult time. Thank you.”
Now, TMZ reports that Victoria had been facing criminal charges ahead of her tragic death.
Court documents reveal that authorities had accused the 34-year-old of being in a public place while under the influence of toluene.
(We will explain what that is momentarily)
On May 14, 2025, Victoria allegedly had her public intoxication incident — followed by a charge of resisting a peace officer.
One can only assume that these charges are related. The charges were active, with a pretrial conference scheduled for January 27 — just a few weeks from now.
What is toluene?
Toluene is a benzene derivative. It is a solvent.
Most people will only encounter toluene as it is in paint thinner and sometimes in permanent markers.
However, this chemical — which has been identified and in use for nearly 200 years — has unfortunately been used as a recreational euphorigenic.
To put this in the simplest and most familiar terms possible, it’s the chemical that makes glue-sniffing a thing.
Toluene has the potential to cause lasting neurological harm. It is horrifying to think of anyone subjecting themselves to this substance.
The incident in May of 2025 was not Victoria’s first run-in with law enforcement.
In April — just one month prior — authorities arrested her for possession of cocaine.
Prosecutors offered her a plea deal in that case.
The deal would have required her to get sober in order to avoid a harsher sentence.
However, the court date had not yet arrived when she passed away.
This is a tragedy
Victoria is one of two children whom Tommy Lee Jones shares with second wife Kimberlea Cloughley.
Like her father, she was an actress, though of less critical acclaim.
There is much that we do not yet know about her final hours, or about the months or years of struggles with substance abuse the apparently preceded her tragic death.
Our hearts go out to her family and loved ones at this time.
The world would be a better place with her in it. We’d all have loved to have seen her become sober and live a fulfilled life again.