The death of Hayden Panettiere has been ruled an accident, and the investigation is now closed, South Carolina police said Wednesday.
“Based on the Medical Examiner’s determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled accidental,” police said, per NBC News.
At the time of her death, police arrived at a Greenville residence on Aug. 16 after reports of “an unresponsive female.” Panettiere, 36, was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation into Panettiere’s death was opened, though police said an initial investigation did not indicate any signs of foul play.
A month after Panettiere’s death, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office ruled that she had died from the toxic effects of fentanyl and other drugs. The statement from the coroner’s office reiterated that an autopsy found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death.
Panettiere was known for her range of film and television roles in Remember the Titans, Raising Helen, Scream 4, Ice Princess, and I Love You, Beth Cooper. She landed her breakout role in 2006 as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC sci-fi series Heroes for four seasons, and later hit an all-time high as Juliette Barnes in the series Nashville from 2012 to 2018.
During that period, Panettiere said that she struggled with postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, her only child with Ukrainian champion boxer Wladimir Klitschko, in 2014. She later shared that she suffered from severe postpartum depression, substance abuse, and anxiety.
Panettiere has long been candid about her struggles navigating child stardom and fame, and further opened up about her issues with addiction and mental health in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. Despite her challenges behind the scenes, Panettiere continued acting in film and on TV regularly. After playing Kirby Reed in 2011’s Scream 4, the actress reprised the role in 2023’s Scream VI. “Hayden is a real powerhouse,” Wes Craven, the director of Scream 4, said during the film’s promotion. “Tremendous technical ability. Able to bring enormous emotionalities to something very quickly. Smart. Just so full of life and laughter and fun.”
