Police Close Investigation Into Hayden Panettiere's Death After Accidental Overdose Ruling
Seven Lights
Greenville, South Carolina, police closed their investigation into the death of the actress Hayden Panettiere on Wednesday, more than two months after she was found unresponsive at her apartment complex. No one will be charged.
“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 said in a statement. “The Greenville Police Department has concluded its investigation.” No foul play is suspected. It was unclear whether federal authorities, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, would pursue their own inquiry.
Officers accompanied by emergency medical personnel responded to a report of an unresponsive woman at the Judson Mill Lofts at about 1:50 p.m. on August 16. Ms. Panettiere, 36, was pronounced dead at the scene; a 911 call indicated an attempt at CPR, and she may have gone into cardiac arrest before it. Her then-boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother were in the home; Mr. Hickerson handed police a bag of her alleged medications.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office ruled the cause of death the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine — a combination of an illicit opioid, a fentanyl precursor and prescription sedatives and muscle relaxants — and the manner of death an accident.
Ms. Panettiere was a child actor on “Guiding Light” and “The Young and the Restless” before starring roles on the series “Heroes” and “Nashville” and the film “Scream VI.” About 80 people attended a private memorial for her on September 19, among them her “Nashville” co-star Connie Britton, Evan Ross and Ruby Rose. “We all just bawled,” Ms. Britton told People magazine.
Legal questions over her estate continue. Wladimir Klitschko, her former partner and the father of their 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, filed in September for temporary guardianship of the child’s interest in the estate, as the daughter is the sole inheritor, and a court granted it at an October hearing. In an August tribute Mr. Klitschko wrote that Ms. Panettiere “built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry.”