Hayden Panettiere: Police Have Reached a Conclusion After Overdose Death

Police have closed the investigation into the death of Hayden Panettiere. The actress died on Aug. 16 after her boyfriend and his brother found her unresponsive in a Greenville, S.C., apartment.

• Last month, the Greenville coroner concluded that Hayden Panettiere died of toxic effects of fentanyl in combination with several other prescription drugs.
• Longtime boyfriend Brian Hickerson was interviewed by police although he was never named as a suspect.
• The 37-year-old actress is best known for TV shows Heroes and Nashville.

A coroner reported no signs of trauma that may have contributed to Panettiere's death, but police still followed through on the source of the drugs she'd taken, with celebrity news sites such as TMZ speculating they could have been tainted.

Related: Hayden Panettiere, a Timeline of Tragedy + Troubles

Dimitrios Kambouris / Jason Kempin, Getty Images

Hayden Panettiere Cause of Death

An investigation into Panettiere's death was closed without any arrests. On Wednesday, a spokesperson shared the findings (From Variety):

"Based on (the coroner's) determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled accidental. The Greenville Police Department has concluded its investigation."

Panettiere had a history of substance abuse, something she was candid about in her memoir. A turbulent and abusive relationship with Hickerson mirrored a partial timeline of her drug abuse. This is part of the reason why her mother wanted him banned from her funeral services.

Specifically, Panettiere's cause of death was toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol and Quetiapine. Both Hickerson and his brother, Zach, were present at the time.

Who Was Hayden Panettiere?

Hayden Panettiere was an actor who began her career as a child star, appearing in television shows and films including One Life to Live, Guiding Light, Message in a Bottle, Remember the Titans and more.

She shot to fame for her role on Heroes, but country fans remember her primarily for her role as country singer Juliette Barnes on Nashville.

While never married, she and ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko shared an 11-year-old daughter named Kaya. In her 2026 book This Is Me: A Reckoning, she talked about addiction, mental health and surrendering custody to Klitschko.

She also talked about her boyfriend's abuse in a manner that indicated they were no longer involved. Ultimately that proved to not be true.