Police conclude investigation into Hayden Panettiere's death

Hayden Panettiere's death aged 36 from a drug overdose has been ruled accidental by police.

The Greenville coroner's office had already ruled Panettiere's death an accident, but police kept the investigation open until yesterday.

"Based on the Medical Examiner's determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere's death has been ruled accidental," the Greenville Police Department shared in a statement to CNN. The ruling concludes the police investigation.

Panettiere died on 16 August from a toxic mix of opioid fentanyl and other drugs, authorities revealed in September.

The Heroes star's boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were both present at the South Carolina apartment where she was pronounced dead.

Police at the scene noted that Zach was "very emotional" while Brian was composed until paramedics pronounced the actor dead, after more than 40 minutes of CPR.

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

Panettiere's brother, Jansen, also had an untimely death, passing away in February 2023 at the age of 28. His family confirmed at the time that he had died from an enlarged heart coupled with aortic valve complications.

Panettiere had spoken openly about her profound grief and the impact of his death.

"He was my only sibling, and it was my job to protect him," Panettiere told People. "When I lost him, I felt like I lost half of my soul."