Hayden Panettiere death investigation closed by police in South Carolina

By Cindy Von Quednow, Addie Haney, CNN

(CNN) — Police in South Carolina closed the investigation into actress Hayden Panettiere’s death after it was determined she died of an accidental drug overdose, the Greenville police department said Wednesday.

“Based on the (coroner’s office’s) determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled accidental. The Greenville Police Department has concluded its investigation,” the police department said in an email to CNN.

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office ruled Panettiere’s death an accident last month, but investigators had been looking into whether the 36-year-old obtained illicit and possibly counterfeit drugs from a dealer in Southern California.

Panettiere, who starred in the TV shows “Heroes” and “Nashville,” was pronounced dead at a Greenville apartment on August 16.

The actress died from a toxic mix of the opioid fentanyl and other drugs, authorities said in September.

Panettiere was found in cardiac arrest and medics were unable to resuscitate her. She was found in the Airbnb apartment, sitting with her legs crossed and her face down, according to a coroner’s report obtained by CNN.

Two men — later identified by police as Panettiere’s boyfriend and his brother — discovered her on a sofa bed. Panettiere was purple, the coroner’s report says. One man administered two doses of Narcan and called 911 after she remained unresponsive.

One of the men said he didn’t know Panettiere had used illegal drugs in recent days, but “she was very good at hiding them,” the coroner’s report said.

Panettiere was open about her struggles

The actress had publicly shared her struggles with early fame and her battles with mental health and addiction.

This year, Panettiere addressed the challenges in a memoir and spoke publicly about losing her brother.

Her career was also making a comeback, with her latest film released in January.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Holly Yan, Deidre McPhillips, Elizabeth Wolfe and Nadia Kounang contributed to this report.