WEST HOLLYWOOD—At about 1:51 p.m. on August 16, emergency medical personnel responded to a report that a woman needed help at an apartment in Judson Mills Loft located at 701 Easley Bridge Road, in Greenville, South Carolina. The victim was identified as actress Hayden Panettiere, 36. She received medical aid but later died. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office announced on September 22 that the cause of her death was the toxic effects of a set of five drugs that Panettiere consumed.

The combination included quetiapine, an antipsychotic medication also known as Seroquel, and alprazolam, which is used to treat anxiety and is otherwise known as Xanax. Another drug she took was methocarbamol, a prescription muscle relaxant also known as Robaxin. 4-anilino-N-phenethylpiperidine, known as 4-ANPP, was the fourth drug used. It serves as a precursor in the synthesis of fentanyl. The last drug Panettiere ingested was fentanyl.

An acquaintance of Panettiere made the 911 call. When the paramedics arrived, they found her in cardiac arrest and administered advanced life support, but their efforts to revive her were unsuccessful. She died at 2:32 p.m.

A board-certified forensic pathologist completed the autopsy and found no signs of trauma that contributed to the death. The coroner’s investigation, opened the same day as GPD’s, is now closed.

The GPD announced it was aware that the coroner’s investigation concluded, but officers are continuing their investigation into Panettiere’s death. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) joined the investigation. No further information has been released to the public.

According to the GPD’s incident report, Panettiere was staying at apartment 1209. Her death was witnessed by Brian Hickerson, her on-and-off boyfriend, and his brother, Zach Hickerson. Firefighters responded to the 911 call and assisted EMS personnel. Officers escorted the two men into a hallway, and Brian displayed a bag of medication that Hayden was using.

Hayden was temporarily staying at a residence in South Carolina. She also owns a condo in West Hollywood. On September 19, a memorial was held for her in Malibu.

Panettiere is best known for playing Claire Bennet in the NBC TV show “Heroes,” as well as Gennifer Harwood in the 2005 film “Ice Princess” and Dot in the Pixar film “A Bug’s Life.” She also portrayed Sarah Roberts on the soap opera “One Life to Live” from 1994 to 1997 and played Lizzi Spaulding on “Guiding Light” from 1996 to 2000. She also played Juliette Barnes in the TV series “Nashville.” Her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning”, was published on May 19.

She is survived by her daughter, Kaya, born in 2014. Kaya is the product of her relationship with former world wrestling champion Wladimir Klitschko. Panettiere relinquished custody of her daughter in 2018, after the relationship ended, because she was struggling with addiction and postpartum depression. Panettiere’s mother is actress Lesley R. Vogel. Panettiere’s brother, actor Jansen Rane Panettiere, died on February 19, 2023, from complications related to an enlarged heart and aortic valve issues.

Panettiere started dating Brian in 2018, and they have been on and off for years.  In 2019, police arrested him after an alleged altercation between the couple. The case was dismissed. In 2020, Hickerson was arrested twice for alleged domestic violence, and he pleaded no contest to two counts of injuring a girlfriend or wife.

Canyon News reached out to the GPD for comment and was told that the department had no comment as the investigation is ongoing.