Actress Hayden Panettiere died from accidental overdose involving fentanyl, coroner says

Actress Hayden Panettiere died from an accidental overdose of several drugs, including fentanyl, a coroner in South Carolina said Tuesday.

Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 16.

Her on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were at the home.

According to a statement from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, a combination of fentanyl and its chemical byproduct, as well as the anti-anxiety medication alprazolam, a muscle relaxer and a drug used to treat major depression and other serious mental health disorders, was found in Panettiere’s system.

The office did not include further details from the autopsy report in its initial release.

Asked for comment on the coroner’s report, Kasey Kitchen, a publicist for the family, told The Associated Press that “the investigation is still ongoing and the case is complex.”

Greenville Police confirmed Tuesday that their investigation into Panettiere’s death is continuing.

Paramedics responded to Panettiere’s apartment last month after a 911 call and performed CPR and other advanced resuscitation efforts for more than 40 minutes before she was declared dead.

An autopsy found no signs of trauma that could have contributed to her death, Greenville County Coroner Mike Ellis said in a statement.

The police report released after her death listed medications Panettiere was taking, but the drug names were redacted.

Panettiere soared to fame in the TV shows “Heroes” and “Nashville.”

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