GREENVILLE, S.C. — The death of actress Hayden Panettiere has been officially ruled accidental, bringing an end to the local police investigation, South Carolina authorities announced Wednesday.
The Greenville Police Department stated that it concluded its inquiry following the findings of the medical examiner. The 36-year-old star of television dramas “Heroes” and “Nashville” died in August from a drug overdose, officials said.
“Based on the Medical Examiner’s determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled accidental,” the police department said in a released statement.
Details of the August Emergency Call
First responders were dispatched to an apartment along Easley Bridge Road in Greenville around 1:51 p.m. on Aug. 16 following a 911 call reporting an unresponsive woman in cardiac arrest, according to records from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office cited by Fox News. Paramedics initiated advanced cardiac life support measures, but resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.
A month following her death, the coroner’s office confirmed that Panettiere died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, alprazolam, 4-ANPP, methocarbamol and quetiapine. An autopsy identified no bodily trauma, and local detectives noted from the start that preliminary findings revealed no indications of foul play, CBS News reported.
Panettiere’s partner, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were present at the residence when emergency workers arrived and made the initial emergency call, according to incident reports obtained by CBS News and Fox News. The brothers had traveled with the actress from Los Angeles the previous day, Fox News reported.
A Career in the Spotlight
Panettiere gained early national prominence as a child and teen actor, appearing in films such as “Remember the Titans,” “Raising Helen” and “Ice Princess.” Her major breakthrough came in 2006 when she portrayed superpowered high school cheerleader Claire Bennet on the hit NBC science-fiction series “Heroes.”
She later earned acclaim portraying country music star Juliette Barnes on “Nashville” between 2012 and 2018. She also played fan-favorite character Kirby Reed in “Scream 4” in 2011, later returning to reprise the role in the 2023 sequel “Scream VI.”
Throughout her career, Panettiere spoke openly about personal challenges, including severe postpartum depression, anxiety and substance abuse following the 2014 birth of her daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with Ukrainian boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko. She chronicled many of those experiences in her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” Rolling Stone noted.
Status of Federal Inquiries
While local detectives have ended their probe, federal interest in the circumstances surrounding her supply of narcotics had been reported in the weeks after her death. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration previously joined local authorities examining the incident, CBS News reported.
It remains unclear whether the federal inquiry into the source of the lethal substances has concluded, the BBC reported, noting the DEA had not immediately responded to requests for comment.
