Culture 3 min read By Trevor Kendall
Greenville Police Rule Panettiere's Death an Accident
Greenville, South Carolina police have closed their investigation and ruled the death of actress Hayden Panettiere an accident. The medical examiner determined the cause was the toxic effects of several substances, including fentanyl.
Greenville police in South Carolina have closed their investigation into the circumstances of actress Hayden Panettiere's death and ruled it an accident. According to the department, no signs of a crime were found.
In a statement provided to NBC, police cited the findings of the medical examiner and the results of the investigation. "Based on the medical examiner's findings and the results of the investigation, the death of Hayden Panettiere has been ruled an accident," the text says. The department also confirmed that the investigation has been completed and that no evidence of the involvement of outside persons was found.
Earlier, Greenville County medical examiners, where the actress's body was found on August 16, determined that she died from the toxic effects of several substances: fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol, and quetiapine. Panettiere died in her apartment in South Carolina at the age of 36. Her father, Skip Panettiere, announced her death, describing his daughter as "an incredible light and a force of nature who brought boundless love and joy to everyone who knew her."
The entertainment industry immediately spoke out about the actress's death. Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis, who worked with Panettiere on the 2016 film "Custody," called her an "amazing talent" and "very gifted" in an Instagram post. Colleagues and fans responded to the news, recalling her work in popular TV series and films.
Panettiere's career began in childhood: at the age of four she appeared on the American soap opera "One Life to Live." Her breakthrough came with the role of a cheerleader with superpowers in the series "Heroes," which ran for four seasons starting in 2006. From 2012 to 2018 she played country singer Juliette Barnes on the series "Nashville," and she appeared in "Scream 4" in 2011, where she played Kirby Reed, and in "Scream VI" in 2023. Her other works include "Guiding Light," "Malcolm in the Middle," "The Object of My Affection," "The Adventures of Flick," and "Message in a Bottle."
Earlier this year, Panettiere published her memoir "This Is Me: A Reckoning," in which she spoke about postpartum depression, addiction, and recovery, and revealed that she is bisexual. She described having spent years in a "terrible cycle of struggling with depression, anxiety, alcoholism, and substance abuse" while trying to "find a way back, a way out of the darkness."
Panettiere was in a relationship with Ukrainian heavyweight boxing champion Vladimir Klitschko, and in 2014 they had a daughter, Kaya. Her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died in February 2023 at the age of 28 from complications related to a heart aortic valve.
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