Greenville Police End Panettiere Homicide Probe
The death of the 36-year-old actor was officially ruled accidental following a toxicology report listing five specific substances.
By Jabari Long ·
Greenville police concluded their investigation into the death of actor Hayden Panettiere on Wednesday, officially closing the case. The department determined her death was accidental, a finding that aligns with the earlier ruling from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office issued last month.
Panettiere, 36, was discovered unresponsive on Aug. 16 inside an apartment complex in South Carolina where she was residing at the time. The coroner’s report attributed the cause of death to the toxic effects of multiple drugs. The substances identified in her system were fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol, and quetiapine.
The medical examiner found no signs of physical trauma that contributed to the death. Police officials confirmed that investigators did not find evidence of foul play during their initial response or subsequent inquiry. The case is now considered resolved based on these findings and the medical determination.
Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was present at the apartment complex when she was found. According to the police report, Hickerson presented officers with a bag of medication he stated she was taking during her stay at the property. His presence and the medication provided formed part of the initial evidence gathered by investigators.
The actor had been in rehabilitation just weeks prior to her death, according to the coroner’s documentation. She had previously spoken publicly about her battle with addiction. Her mother, Lesley Vogel, described her daughter as a fighter who maintained transparency regarding her health struggles.
Vogel noted that she had never heard Panettiere discuss fentanyl specifically. The actor’s personal history included a memoir detailing her recovery from postpartum depression and the distance from her child, whom she had with boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2014. She granted Klitschko custody of their daughter in 2018 after entering rehab.
Panettiere’s professional career included roles in the television series Heroes and Nashville. She also appeared in feature films such as Remember the Titans, Ice Princess, and Bring It On: All or Nothing. Her death concluded a period of intense public scrutiny following the 2023 passing of her brother, Jansen, from an undiagnosed heart condition.
