Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled accidental after authorities determined that she died from the toxic effects of fentanyl and four other substances. The 36-year-old actor, known for roles in Heroes, Nashville and the Scream franchise, was found unresponsive on August 16, 2026, at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said toxicology and autopsy findings showed that Panettiere died from the combined effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine. Officials classified the manner of death as an accident and said the autopsy found no trauma that contributed to her death.
Emergency dispatchers received a 911 call at about 1:51 p.m. reporting a cardiac arrest at an apartment in the Judson Mill Lofts on Easley Bridge Road. First responders and emergency medical personnel attempted advanced cardiac life support, but Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m., according to the coroner’s findings.
Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, and his brother Zach were at the apartment when emergency responders arrived, CBS News reported from a police report. The brothers had called 911 after Panettiere was found unresponsive, and the police report said Hickerson showed officers a bag containing medication she had been taking.
The coroner announced the official cause and manner of death in September, about five weeks after Panettiere died. Fentanyl was one of several substances listed in the toxicology findings, along with 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine.
ABC News reported that investigators found blue pressed pills and other suspected drug material in the apartment, citing the coroner’s report and a family source. The outlet also reported that investigators were examining where the fentanyl came from, including whether Panettiere obtained it in California or South Carolina.
Police Close the Local Investigation
On October 28, the Greenville Police Department announced that it had completed its investigation. Police said the findings supported the medical examiner’s determination that the death was accidental, and the local investigation was closed with no charges filed.
That update changes one important part of earlier reporting about the case. Previous accounts correctly said the Greenville police investigation remained active after the coroner released the toxicology findings, but that was no longer accurate once police announced the case had been closed on October 28.
The Associated Press reported that Greenville police reached their decision after reviewing the coroner’s findings and their own investigation. The AP also reported that Panettiere had attended rehabilitation shortly before her death, a detail that had previously appeared in reporting about the coroner’s records.
Federal Status Remains Unclear
A separate question remains about federal involvement in the case. The Drug Enforcement Administration had assisted with the investigation, but the agency has not publicly clarified whether any separate federal inquiry remains active.
The Associated Press reported on October 28 that it was unclear whether federal authorities were continuing their work after Greenville police closed their case. WYFF said it contacted the DEA for an updated status after the local investigation ended, but the agency had previously said it does not comment on specific drug-death investigations while investigative work is ongoing.
Earlier reporting had focused in part on the source of the fentanyl and whether drugs involved in the case may have been obtained outside South Carolina. Those questions prompted federal interest, but the closure of the Greenville police investigation does not by itself establish that every federal inquiry has also ended.
Panettiere had spoken publicly about addiction and recovery before her death. In her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, she discussed alcohol and opioid addiction, postpartum depression and her efforts to recover, while telling CBS News earlier in the year that she was continuing to work on her health.
Her death came just days before her 37th birthday. Panettiere began acting as a child and later became widely known for playing Claire Bennet on NBC’s Heroes and Juliette Barnes on ABC and CMT’s Nashville, while also appearing in films including Scream 4 and Scream VI.
Panettiere also worked as a singer and voice actor during a career that began when she was a child. Her performances in Heroes and Nashville helped make her one of the more recognizable television actors of her generation.
One detail in earlier versions of this story also needs correction. A January 5, 2017, appearance in New York City was not a recent public appearance before Panettiere’s death; that date was nearly a decade earlier and appears in a CBS photo caption accompanying its reporting rather than as evidence that she appeared publicly weeks before her death.
The official finding is that Panettiere’s death was an accidental overdose caused by the toxic effects of multiple drugs, including fentanyl. Greenville police have now closed their investigation with no charges filed, while the current status of any separate federal investigation has not been publicly confirmed.