Death of US actress Hayden Panettiere ruled accidental, ending local police probe
The Heroes and Nashville star died in August from the toxic effects of fentanyl, Xanax and several other drugs.
Death of US actress Hayden Panettiere ruled accidental, ending local police probe
Police in South Carolina, where Hayden Panettiere died in August, say they have finished their investigation into her death.
The death of US actress Hayden Panettiere has been ruled accidental, bringing a local investigation into her death to a close, police in South Carolina have said.
The Heroes and Nashville star died in August at the age of 36 from the toxic effects of fentanyl, Xanax and several other drugs in her system.
Referring to the medical examiner's report last month, which found that Panettiere died from a drug overdose, the Greenville Police Department said it had "concluded its investigation" into her death.
The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reportedly joined a local police probe. It is not clear whether that investigation has also ended.
"Based on the Medical Examiner's determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere's death has been ruled accidental," police said in a statement.
According to the BBC's US media partner CBS News, authorities including the DEA were reportedly looking into the circumstances of Panettiere's death.
When reached by the BBC, a spokesperson for Greenville Police Department said they could not comment on what the DEA was investigating.
Panettiere, who had spoken openly about her struggles with substance abuse, was found unresponsive in a South Carolina residence on 16 August.
Last month, the Greenville County Coroner's Office confirmed that the former child star died from an accidental drug overdose that included fentanyl - a synthetic opioid that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans over the past five years alone.
The coroner also identified methocarbamol - a prescription muscle relaxant - and quetiapine - an anti-psychotic medication used to treat certain mental health conditions.
The coroner's office said crews treated a woman in "cardiac arrest" and that her autopsy showed "no signs of trauma" contributing to her death.
According to a police report from the day she died, Panettiere's ex-boyfriend, Brian Hickerson - who has admitted to abusing her - and his brother Zack were with her when emergency services arrived.