Actress Hayden Panettiere died from the combined toxic effects of fentanyl and several other drugs, the Greenville County, South Carolina, Coroner’s Office ruled Tuesday, classifying the death as an accident, according to People.
The coroner attributed the 36-year-old’s death to fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol and Quetiapine. She was found dead in an apartment in Greenville on August 16.
A 911 Call And Failed Resuscitation
In a statement, the coroner’s office described the sequence of events that afternoon. At roughly 1:51 p.m. on August 16, 2026, a 911 call came in reporting a cardiac arrest at 701 Easley Bridge Road in Greenville. First responders and EMS arrived to find a woman in cardiac arrest. Crews began advanced cardiac life support, but resuscitation attempts failed and she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.
The coroner’s office opened a parallel investigation alongside the Greenville City Police Department and identified the deceased as Hayden Leslie Panettiere, 36, of California, who had been staying at the residence temporarily. A board-certified forensic pathologist completed an autopsy and found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to the death.
A publicist for Panettiere’s family told the Associated Press that “the investigation is still ongoing and the case is complex.”
What Happened In The Apartment
Panettiere was found unconscious by her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother Zach Hickerson, according to earlier reporting. Zach Hickerson said he was coming back from a church service to meet the couple for lunch; when he knocked, his brother woke up and they discovered Panettiere unresponsive. Brian Hickerson administered Narcan, a medication used to counter opioid overdoses, while Zach called 911, he said. The two then performed CPR while staying on the line with dispatchers, but she could not be revived.
The death followed a period of reported concern about the substances Panettiere had been taking. Multiple law enforcement sources told TMZ that she had a longtime drug dealer in Los Angeles who allegedly supplied her with black-market prescription drugs, including oxycodone. Investigators believe she took several drugs obtained from that dealer during a flight from Los Angeles to South Carolina the day before she died. They suggested at the time that one pill she took the next morning was an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl, as The Daily Wire previously reported.
A Federal Investigation Into The Source
Police documents previously indicated that Panettiere had a “bag of medication” containing nine different substances, though the specific medications were redacted. Brian Hickerson, her on-again-off-again boyfriend, reportedly met with Drug Enforcement Administration investigators as part of the ongoing probe.
The DEA has been involved since the early days of the investigation, with an eye toward bringing down her dealer in the same manner that the suppliers who provided deadly doses to “Friends” actor Matthew Perry and rapper Mac Miller were prosecuted.
No charges or identification of any supplier have been announced. The publicist’s statement that the case remains open suggests the investigation is still developing even as the coroner’s findings are now public.
Panettiere was best known for starring roles on the television series “Nashville” and “Heroes.”
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/hayden-panettieres-official-cause-of-death-revealed