Hayden Panettiere’s Death Investigation Closed After Accidental Overdose Ruling
Greenville police have closed their investigation into the death of Hayden Panettiere, ruling it accidental, Page Six reported on Wednesday, more than two months after the Heroes and Nashville actress was found dead in South Carolina aged 36.
The police statement
“Based on the Medical Examiner’s determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled accidental. The Greenville Police Department has concluded its investigation,” a representative for the department confirmed to Page Six. Fox News reported the same statement on Wednesday, adding that the ruling brings the police investigation to a close.
The closure comes after the police inquiry remained open even though the coroner’s office had already ruled the death accidental in September, Page Six reported. The department’s formal conclusion this week ends that remaining probe.
The day she was found
Panettiere was found unresponsive at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, on 16 August, Page Six reported. A 911 call made that afternoon reported a woman in cardiac arrest, and first responders attempted to resuscitate her before she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach, were at the scene, Page Six reported. Zach Hickerson made the 911 call and attempted CPR on the actress while speaking with the operator, according to a recording of the call reported by the outlet.
What the coroner had already found
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office had previously determined that Panettiere died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine, according to her toxicology report, Page Six reported. An autopsy found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death.
Those findings, reported in September, established the medical cause. Wednesday’s announcement adds the police department’s own conclusion: that the death was accidental, and that its investigation is now finished.
A career remembered
Panettiere rose to fame as a child actor before her breakout role as cheerleader Claire Bennet on NBC’s Heroes, which ran from 2006 to 2010, Page Six reported. She later starred as country singer Juliette Barnes on the musical drama Nashville from 2012 to 2018, earning wide acclaim for the performance.
Her film credits included Remember the Titans and Ice Princess, as well as several instalments of the Scream franchise, the outlet reported. The announcement of the investigation’s closure closes the official record on a death that had already prompted an outpouring of tributes from colleagues and fans in August.
Sources: Page Six, 28 October 2026; Fox News, 28 October 2026.