Hayden Panettiere’s cause of death has been disclosed more than a month after the actress was found unresponsive inside a South Carolina home.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said the 36-year-old died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine, according to a statement provided to Oxygen.
Her manner of death was ruled an accident.
“An autopsy was completed by a Board Certified Forensic Pathologist,” officials said. “At autopsy no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”
Greenville Police Sgt. Diana Munoz told Oxygen after the coroner’s findings were released that Panettiere’s death remains under investigation. “The death of Hayden Panettiere remains an active investigation for the Greenville Police Department,” she said.
Munoz described the coroner’s report as only “one component of the ongoing investigation.”
“Our detectives will continue to follow leads and gather information as we work toward resolving this case,” she added.
Emergency crews were called to a Greenville residence where Panettiere had been temporarily staying at approximately 1:51 p.m. on Aug. 16. The call reported a cardiac arrest.
Responders found the Nashville star in cardiac arrest, according to the coroner.
Although emergency personnel performed advanced life-saving measures, Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.
Her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were both at the home when the incident occurred, according to a heavily redacted report obtained by Oxygen.
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Police said Brian gave investigators a “bag of medication” that Panettiere had allegedly been taking around the time of her death.
DEA Joined Investigation into Hayden Panettierre’s Death
Munoz confirmed to Oxygen that the Drug Enforcement Administration was helping investigate the actress’s death, but she declined to offer further details.
Panettiere’s representative later criticized TMZ’s report, which cited an unnamed source claiming the DEA was examining “a slew of messages about drugs” that Panettiere had allegedly exchanged with her drug dealer over the years.
“Recent reports attributed to unnamed sources are unverified hearsay and have attributed to conflicting information that continues to circulate,” the representative previously told Oxygen. “While we are all eager to find closure and better understand the circumstances surrounding her passing, we must remain patient and allow the investigative process to unfold. The answers we are all seeking will come.”
Hayden Panettierre Opened Up About Struggles With Drugs
Panettiere, who became a child star before appearing in Heroes, the Scream franchise and Bring it On, had spoken publicly about her struggles with drugs and alcohol.
She said her difficulties began at age 15, when she was allegedly offered “happy pills” on a red carpet to make her appear more “peppy,” as she told People.
Her addiction worsened in the years that followed. In 2020, she reached a turning point after a doctor issued a serious warning, leading her to enter rehab.
“When I got to the point of looking in the mirror and seeing my eyes had turned yellow, and that I didn’t recognize my body anymore … I went into that doctor’s office and got a blood test,” Panettiere, who shares daughter Kaya with ex-partner Wladimir Klitschko, said on The Tamron Hall Show. “And he told me, ‘If you don’t stop, you’re going to be looking at a liver transplant.’”
Earlier this year, while promoting her memoir This is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere told podcast host Jay Shetty that she still had “a lot more life to live.”