What we know
What we know: Hayden Panettiere’s death was accidental and involved fentanyl, coroner says
Compiled Sep 22
What we know
- A coroner in South Carolina ruled Hayden Panettiere died from an accidental overdose of several drugs including fentanyl.
- 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 when she was found.
- The Greenville County Coroner's Office said her system contained fentanyl, a fentanyl byproduct, the anti-anxiety drug alprazolam, a muscle relaxer, and a drug used to treat major depression and other serious mental health disorders.
- The coroner's office did not release further details from the autopsy report.
- A publicist for Panettiere's family responded to the coroner's report on her behalf.
What we don’t know yet
- The coroner's office did not release further details from the autopsy report.
- The family's publicist said the investigation is still ongoing.
- The publicist described the case as complex, without elaborating.
Open questions
- What specific muscle relaxer and antidepressant were found in her system?
- Why does the family's publicist describe the case as 'complex'?
- What aspects of the investigation remain unresolved?
- Did Brian Hickerson or Zach Hickerson play any role in the events leading to her death?
Drawn from the Associated Press report. “What we don’t know” lists only what the reporting itself flags as unresolved.