Hayden Panettiere's Death Ruled Accidental as South Carolina Police End Investigation
The death of US actress Hayden Panettiere has been ruled accidental, police in South Carolina have said, announcing that the local investigation into her death has ended. The Greenville Police Department said it had concluded its investigation.
The Heroes and Nashville star died in August at the age of 36. According to the medical examiner's report, she died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, Xanax and several other drugs in her system.
Citing the medical examiner's report last month, which found Panettiere had died from a drug overdose, the Greenville Police Department said it had concluded its investigation into her death. In a statement, police said that based on the medical examiner's determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere's death has been ruled accidental.
Panettiere, who had spoken openly about her struggles with substance abuse, was found unresponsive in a South Carolina residence on 16 August.
Last month the Greenville County Coroner's Office confirmed the former child star 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 found methocarbamol, a prescription muscle relaxant, and quetiapine, an anti-psychotic medication used to treat certain mental health conditions.
The coroner's office had said crews treated a woman in cardiac arrest, and her autopsy showed no signs of trauma contributing to her death.
Panettiere's ex-boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, who has admitted to abusing her, and his brother Zack were with her when emergency services arrived, according to a police report from the day she died.
The US Drug Enforcement Agency reportedly joined the local police probe. It is unclear whether that investigation has also concluded, and the BBC has contacted the DEA for comment. A spokesperson for the Greenville Police Department could not comment on what the DEA was investigating. According to the BBC's US media partner CBS News, authorities including the DEA were investigating the circumstances of Panettiere's death.
