Entertainmentupdated 1h ago3 min read
Archive photo · 1 July 2016Greenville Police Department Rules Hayden Panettiere’s Death Accidental, Closes Investigation
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Panettiere died from accidental drug overdose, including fentanyl and prescription meds, per medical examiner. Greenville Police Department closed the investigation, citing the Medical Examiner’s determination.
Police close accidental ruling
Greenville Police Department said it ruled actress Hayden Panettiere’s death accidental and closed its investigation, stating, "Based on the Medical Examiner’s determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled accidental," and adding that the department has "concluded its investigation."
The Greenville Police Department said Panettiere, 36, died in August after she was found unresponsive at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office previously ruled her death an accidental overdose involving fentanyl and other substances, and it identified the cause of death as the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol, and quetiapine in its Sept. 22 findings.
The coroner’s office said its autopsy found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death, and the investigation had continued after the coroner released its findings.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had been assisting police with the investigation, and ABC News reported that the DEA’s investigation was believed to be ongoing and could be looking into street-level drug dealers.
Drugs, responders, and dates
Greenville Police Department said it concluded its probe based on the medical examiner’s determination and the findings of the investigation, and it told CNN, "Based on the (coroner’s office’s) determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled accidental." CNN reported that Panettiere was pronounced dead at a Greenville apartment on August 16, after emergency responders found her in cardiac arrest and attempted resuscitation. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said emergency responders were called to a residence where Panettiere had been staying, and it described that crews treated a woman in "cardiac arrest" and her autopsy showed "no signs of trauma" contributing to her death.
The coroner’s findings identified fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol, and quetiapine as substances in her system, and the coroner said the toxic effects of that combination caused her death. The coroner’s report obtained by CNN said one man administered two doses of Narcan and called 911 after Panettiere remained unresponsive, and the report said one man told investigators, "she was very good at hiding them."
Who was there, and what next
Police reports placed Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson at the apartment when officers responded, and the Greenville Police Department said the investigation was closed after its determination that the death was accidental. ABC News reported that emergency responders attempted life-saving measures before Panettiere was pronounced dead, and it said the DEA had been assisting police with the investigation. NBC News reported that Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson was at the apartment complex at the time of her death and showed police a "bag of medication" he said she was taking.
NBC News also reported that Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, called her daughter a "fighter" and said she was "transparent with her addictions and her numerous rehab attempts show her resolve to live a healthy life." NBC News said the DEA was also investigating, and it described the agency’s typical focus on the narcotics involved, how they were obtained, and whether any laws were broken in procuring the drugs.
