Hayden Panettiere Death Investigation Results Revealed as South Carolina Case Closes

Police close the investigation

The Greenville Police Department confirmed that it had completed its investigation into Panettiere’s death. In a statement to Entertainment Weekly on Oct. 28, police said the medical examiner’s determination and investigative findings supported an accidental ruling.

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office had previously classified the manner of death as an accident. The article says the police confirmed the case was closed two months after Panettiere died, but also dates the coroner’s cause-of-death statement to Sept. 22 and the police statement to Oct. 28.

Cause and substances identified

The coroner’s office said Panettiere died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol and Quetiapine. An autopsy found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death.

The coroner’s report described 4-ANPP as a compound often found in illicitly manufactured fentanyl. It identified Alprazolam as anti-anxiety medication, Methocarbamol as a muscle relaxer and Quetiapine as a prescription drug commonly used to treat depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

Emergency response in Greenville

Panettiere died in Greenville, South Carolina, on Aug. 16, at age 36. A 911 call came in at about 1:51 p.m.; responders found her in cardiac arrest and attempted advanced life support, but the efforts were unsuccessful. She was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.

Public comments and personal history

Panettiere had spoken about addiction and said postpartum depression after the 2014 birth of her daughter, Kaya, exacerbated her struggles. In her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, she wrote that a doctor warned her, “If I didn’t stop drinking, I’d be dead in five years.” Zach Hickerson said he and his brother were “beyond heartbroken and devastated” and asked for attention to remain on the loss. Brian Hickerson, approached by paparazzi on Sept. 16, said, “How do you think I’m doing?”