Death of US actress Hayden Panettiere ruled accidental, ending local police probe
Police in South Carolina have concluded their investigation into the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, ruling it accidental after the coroner found she died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, Xanax and other drugs in August.
BBC World
Police in South Carolina have concluded their investigation into the death of US actress Hayden Panettiere, ruling it accidental.
The Greenville Police Department announced that, based on the medical examiner's determination and the findings of its investigation, the death of the Heroes and Nashville star has been classified as accidental. She died in August at the age of 36 from the toxic effects of fentanyl, Xanax and several other drugs in her system.
Citing the medical examiner's report issued last month, which found that Panettiere died from a drug overdose, the department said it had concluded its probe.
The US Drug Enforcement Agency reportedly joined the local police investigation into the circumstances of her death, according to CBS News, the BBC's US media partner. It is unclear whether that federal investigation has also concluded. A spokesperson for the Greenville Police Department could not comment on what the DEA was examining when contacted by the BBC, and the BBC has approached the agency for comment.
Panettiere, a former child actor who had spoken openly about her struggles with substance abuse, was found unresponsive at a residence in South Carolina on 16 August.
Last month, the Greenville County Coroner's Office confirmed that she had died from an accidental drug overdose that included fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans over the past five years alone. The coroner also identified methocarbamol, a prescription muscle relaxant, and quetiapine, an anti-psychotic medication used to treat certain mental health conditions, among the substances involved.
The coroner's office said crews had treated a woman in cardiac arrest, and that her autopsy showed no signs of trauma contributing to her death.
According to a police report from the day she died, Panettiere's ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson, who has admitted to abusing her, and his brother Zack were with her when emergency services arrived.