Hayden Panettiere’s death is ruled accidental and police investigation is closed

Actor Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled an accident and the case is now closed, police in South Carolina announced Wednesday. “Based on the Medical Examiner’s determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled accidental,” Greenville police said, noting the investigation has concluded. Panettiere, 36, the actor who starred in the shows “Heroes” and “Nashville,” was found unresponsive on Aug. 16 in a South Carolina apartment complex where she was staying. Last month, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office ruled her death an accident caused by the toxic effects of multiple drugs: fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine. The coroner said there were no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death.

Police also have said no signs of foul play were found during the initial response and investigation. Panettiere, who had publicly discussed her struggle with addiction, had been in rehab just weeks before, according to the coroner’s report. Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was at the apartment complex at the time of her death. He showed police a “bag of medication” he said she was taking at the time, according to the police report. After the coroner’s report was issued, Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, called her daughter a “fighter” who was “transparent with her addictions and her numerous rehab attempts show