The Greenville County Coroner’s Office determined that Hayden Panettiere died from the toxic effects of fentanyl and four other substances after the 36-year-old actress was found unresponsive at a South Carolina residence in August.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.

Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled accidental after a South Carolina coroner determined that the 36-year-old actress died from the combined toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine.

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office announced the findings Tuesday, more than a month after Panettiere was found unresponsive inside a Greenville residence where she had been temporarily staying. Independent reporting from The Associated Press and CBS News confirmed the coroner’s cause and manner of death.

Panettiere died Aug. 16 after emergency personnel responded to a report of cardiac arrest at 701 Easley Bridge Road.

“On August 16, 2026, at approximately 1:51 PM, a 911 call was received regarding a reported cardiac arrest at 701 Easley Bridge Road in Greenville,” the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said. “First responders and Emergency Medical Services arrived on scene and located a female in cardiac arrest. EMS personnel initiated advanced cardiac life support measures; however, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the individual was pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM.”

Authorities identified her as Hayden Leslie Panettiere of California.

“The Greenville County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and initiated a parallel investigation with the Greenville City Police Department. The decedent has been identified as Hayden Leslie Panettiere, 36, of California. Panettiere was found unresponsive inside the residence, where she had been temporarily staying.

“An autopsy was completed by a Board Certified Forensic Pathologist. At autopsy no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”

The absence of contributing trauma had been disclosed shortly after her death, while toxicology and additional testing remained pending.

Those tests have now produced an official determination.

“The cause of death has been ruled as toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol, and Quetiapine. The manner of death has been ruled accident.”

Alprazolam is the generic name for Xanax, a prescription benzodiazepine. Methocarbamol is a muscle relaxant, while quetiapine is a prescription medication used for several psychiatric conditions. The coroner’s announcement identified the substances involved but did not publicly detail their individual concentrations or determine that any single drug alone caused Panettiere’s death.

The investigation into the circumstances surrounding how Panettiere obtained the substances has continued beyond the coroner’s determination.

Panettiere was with her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother Zach around the time of her death. A Greenville police incident report identified Hickerson as the complainant in the emergency response, while both men were described in subsequent reporting as being present when the actress was found unresponsive.

According to the police report obtained by Fox News Digital, Hickerson later provided authorities with a bag containing medication Panettiere had been taking.

The report also recorded observations of the men during emergency crews’ efforts to revive her. Police described Zach Hickerson as appearing “very emotional” while paramedics worked on Panettiere and said Brian Hickerson became emotional after she was pronounced dead.

Those observations were contained in the police record but do not establish wrongdoing.

Hickerson had traveled with Panettiere from Los Angeles to South Carolina the previous day, according to reporting about the scene and her final hours.

Panettiere and Hickerson had previously ended their relationship for a period in 2022 before reconciling the following year. Zach Hickerson told police his brother and Panettiere were in a relationship when she died.

Federal drug investigators have also become involved in the case. Fox News Digital reported that the Drug Enforcement Administration had been contacted and was assisting authorities.

People subsequently reported that DEA agents searched Panettiere’s Los Angeles residence nine days after her death as part of an investigation into possible black-market drugs, indicating that the federal inquiry continued after the initial South Carolina investigation.

Greenville police initially said their preliminary investigation had found no indication of foul play or suspicious circumstances. The coroner later confirmed that the autopsy found no trauma contributing to Panettiere’s death.

Her representatives had urged the public not to draw conclusions while toxicology testing and law enforcement inquiries remained underway.

“Many people who were not close to Hayden are using her death as an opportunity to fuel gossip and speculation about a situation they knew very little about,” Panettiere’s representative said in a statement previously shared with US Weekly. “It is deeply disrespectful to her memory and to those who knew and loved her and are actively grieving this tremendous loss.”

The representative urged anyone possessing potentially useful information to provide it directly to investigators.

“If you have legitimate information that could be helpful, please contact law enforcement rather than turning to social media to speculate publicly about something you do not fully understand.”

Panettiere’s team also indicated at the time that investigators were examining circumstances that had not yet become public.

“There is much more to this story than what is currently being discussed publicly, and those closest to Hayden are actively cooperating with the ongoing investigation to help ensure that the truth comes to light and that justice is properly served,” the statement concluded.

Tuesday’s findings provide the first official answer to the central medical question surrounding Panettiere’s death.

She died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine, and the Greenville County Coroner’s Office classified the death as accidental.

The ruling resolves the medical cause and manner of death but does not necessarily conclude the separate law enforcement inquiry into where the drugs came from or the circumstances under which Panettiere obtained them.

Panettiere, known for roles including “Remember the Titans” and “Ice Princess,” was 36 when she died.

Original article