Hayden Panettiere’s official cause of death released by coroner’s office

More than a month after her death, a coroner has provided an official cause of death for actress Hayden Panettiere.

Officials ruled on Tuesday (Wednesday morning AEST) that the 36-year-old Heroes star’s death in South Carolina in August was accidental.

The former child star had a combination of drugs in her system, including fentanyl and its chemical byproduct, the antianxiety medication alprazolam, a muscle relaxer, and a drug used to treat major depression and other serious mental health disorders.

“At autopsy no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death,” Greenville County Coroner Mike Ellis said in a statement.

However, the coroner’s findings may not be the end of it all.

While Greenville police had similarly said they found no signs of foul play when attending the scene, after reports of a cardiac arrest, they said on Tuesday their investigation was continuing.

Family publicist Kasey Kitchen reiterated that statement.

“The investigation is still ongoing, and the case is complex,” Kitchen told The Associated Press.

Panettiere was found unresponsive on August 16 in a South Carolina apartment where boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were both present.

Police said Zach was “very emotional” and Brian was very composed until paramedics pronounced the actress dead, after more than 40 minutes of CPR.

The responding officer, Matthew Bryan, was wearing a body camera throughout the response; however, footage has not been publicly released.

Brian is also said to have produced a “bag of medication” Panettiere had been taking around the time of her death for police.

Panettiere recently got back together with her on-again, off-again beau, who is an aspiring actor from South Carolina.

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Their reunion came soon after a five-year protective order keeping Hickerson from his ex-girlfriend lifted in April.

He served a short sentence in 2021 for two felony counts of corporal injury/injuring his then-girlfriend Panettiere in May 2019 and January 2020, which she detailed in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.

Panettiere’s estranged mum, Lesley Vogel, slammed Hickerson for coming back into her daughter’s life, labelling him a “toxic individual” and “an enabler”.

“This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death, and that was Brian Hickerson,” she told NBC News in the wake of Panettiere’s passing.

“There is a lot of history in the past that Brian has enabled Hayden many times, and this is why her father and I had been concerned for a long time about him.”

A lawyer for Hickerson issued a statement following Vogel’s interview, reiterating that “police confirmed there were no signs of foul play” at Panettiere’s death.

“Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,” attorney Sloan Ellis said at the time.

"Out of respect for Hayden's loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time."

Panettiere had been open about her struggles with mental health over the years, especially following the death of her brother, Jansen Panettiere, in 2023, at 28 from a heart condition.

She also battled post-natal depression after the birth of her daughter, Kaya Klitschko, now 11, something the Nashville alum also detailed in her book, speaking about how her character Juliette Barnes’ struggles in the show mirrored her own.

Kaya now lives in Ukraine with her father, former professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko, who was Panettiere’s ex-fiance.

If you or someone you know is seeking support and information about suicide prevention, call or visit Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. In the event of an emergency call Triple Zero (000).