The death of actor Hayden Panettiere was ruled an accident and the case is now closed, South Carolina police announced Wednesday.
“Based on the determination of the medical examiner and the findings of the investigation, the death of Hayden Panettiere has been ruled accidental,” Greenville police said, emphasizing that the investigation has been completed.
Panettiere, 36, the actor who starred in the series “Heroes” and “Nashville,” was found unconscious Aug. 16 in a South Carolina apartment complex where she was staying.
Last month, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office ruled his death an accident caused by the toxic effects of several medications: fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine.
The coroner said there were no signs of trauma that would have contributed to his death. Police also said no signs of foul play were found during the initial response and investigation.
Panettiere, who had spoken publicly about his struggle with addiction, was in rehab just weeks before, according to the coroner’s report.
Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was at the apartment complex at the time of her death. He showed police a “bag of pills” that he said she was taking at the time, according to the police report.
After the coroner’s report was released, Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, called her daughter a “fighter” who was “transparent with her addictions and her numerous attempts at rehabilitation show her determination to live a healthy life.”
Vogel also said at the time that she had “never heard Hayden talk about fentanyl.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration was also investigating, a source familiar with the investigation previously told NBC News. The agency typically examines the narcotics involved in a case, how they were obtained, and whether any laws were broken in purchasing those drugs.
Panettiere entered Hollywood as a child actress and later blazed her own trail, starring in the films “Remember the Titans,” “Ice Princess” and “Bring It On: All or Nothing.”
In her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” she explained how her life began to take a turn after she had a daughter with Ukrainian heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2014. She began drinking heavily to cope with postpartum depression and distancing herself from Klitschko, she wrote in the book.
She checked herself into rehab and gave Klitschko custody of their child in 2018.
In the book, she also discusses struggling with pain and grief after the death of her brother, Jansen Panettiere, in 2023 from an undiagnosed heart condition.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, call these numbers for help: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s national helpline is 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357); the National Drug Helpline is 1-844-289-0879; and the American Addiction Centers hotline is (866) 464-3073.
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