A South Carolina coroner ruled Hayden Panettiere’s death accidental from the toxic effects of fentanyl and four other substances as investigators examine what happened.
The 36-year-old actress was found unresponsive Aug. 16 inside a Greenville residence where she had been staying temporarily. Emergency workers tried to revive her before she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office listed the cause as the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine. The office classified the manner of death as an accident.
An autopsy found no trauma that contributed to Panettiere’s death. The coroner’s office and Greenville City Police Department opened parallel investigations, while Fox News Digital reported that the Drug Enforcement Administration was assisting.
The emergency began around 1:51 p.m. with a 911 call about a reported cardiac arrest at the Greenville home. First responders found Panettiere in cardiac arrest and began lifesaving measures, but those efforts failed.
Fox News Digital obtained the coroner’s release, which set out the official findings.
“The cause of death has been ruled as toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol, and Quetiapine. The manner of death has been ruled accident.”
The ruling settles the official cause and manner of death. It does not answer where the substances came from or how Panettiere obtained them, questions that remained open as authorities continued their work.
Fox News reported that Brian Hickerson, described as Panettiere’s boyfriend or on-and-off boyfriend, traveled with her from Los Angeles the day before her death. Brian and his brother, Zach Hickerson, reportedly called 911 after finding her unresponsive.
Brian Hickerson later gave authorities a bag containing medication Panettiere had been taking, Fox reported. The specific medication inside the bag was not identified.
A TMZ-attributed claim raised the possibility that Panettiere took oxycodone laced with fentanyl. But the details supplied did not identify the evidence behind that claim, and the coroner’s ruling did not say that oxycodone caused her death.
Panettiere’s representative pushed back against public speculation and said those close to the actress were cooperating with investigators.
“Many people who were not close to Hayden are using her death as an opportunity to fuel gossip and speculation about a situation they knew very little about,”
The representative urged anyone with useful information to contact law enforcement rather than post claims online. The statement also said more remained unknown publicly and called for the investigation to uncover the full truth.
“If you have legitimate information that could be helpful, please contact law enforcement rather than turning to social media to speculate publicly about something you do not fully understand.”
The coroner has supplied the medical finding. Investigators must now follow the evidence, and the public should demand facts instead of rewarding rumor.
