Greenville police say the medical examiner’s findings and their investigation support an accidental-death ruling for Hayden Panettiere, who died at 36 on Aug. 16 after she was found unresponsive at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina. The department has closed the case.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office had announced its ruling on Sept. 22, identifying the cause as the combined toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine. Sgt. Diana Munoz said the police conclusion rested on the medical examiner’s “determination and the findings of the investigation.”
On the day she died, those present included Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, and his brother Zach. Neither has been charged with a crime connected to her death.
The DEA also joined the investigation. A source said agents searched Panettiere’s home for illicit drugs 9 days after her death.
Before the toxicology findings were released, her representatives urged patience in a Sept. 16 statement: “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 Scream VI actress died days before her 37th birthday and is survived by her 11-year-old daughter. She’d spoken publicly about addiction and released This Is Me: A Reckoning in May 2026. The New York Times bestseller list came to include the memoir.
