Hayden Panettiere’s death was accidental and involved fentanyl, coroner says

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Actor Hayden Panettiere died from an accidental overdose of several drugs including fentanyl, a coroner in South Carolina said Tuesday.

Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, on Aug 16. Her on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were at the home.

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According to a statement from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, a combination of fentanyl and its chemical byproduct, as well as the anti-anxiety medication alprazolam, a muscle relaxer and a drug used to treat major depression and other serious mental health disorders, were found in Panettiere’s system.

The office did not release further details from the autopsy report of the onetime child star.

Asked for comment on the coroner’s report, Kasey Kitchen, a publicist for the family, told The Associated Press that “the investigation is still ongoing and the case is complex.”