Greenville Police End Probe Into Hayden Panettiere Overdose

The death of actor Hayden Panettiere is now officially ruled accidental by local authorities. Greenville police in South Carolina closed their investigation on Wednesday. The department based this decision on the medical examiner's findings. No criminal charges will be filed locally.

Panettiere was found unresponsive in a Greenville apartment on August 16. She was pronounced dead at the age of 36. Paramedics arrived after her then-boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, reported she was not waking up. A coroner's report released last month identified an accidental overdose of multiple drugs, including fentanyl. The document noted she had completed a rehabilitation program only weeks prior to her death.

The actor was known for her roles in the television series Heroes and Nashville. In a memoir published in May, This Is Me: A Reckoning, she discussed her struggles with alcohol addiction and postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter in 2014. Her father told investigators that Panettiere had planned to visit their 11-year-old daughter in Ukraine days after her scheduled death.

Questions remain about parallel federal investigations. Wladimir Klitschko, Panettiere's ex-fianc and the child's father, filed a petition with a California court last month. He stated that federal law enforcement agents had taken some of her property during their inquiry. He also mentioned an unnamed non-relative who sought to sell the assets. The court granted Klitschko legal status this month to protect the property for his daughter, who is the sole heir.

Greenville police Sergeant Diana Munoz said on Wednesday that she could not comment on whether other agencies are currently investigating. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration did not respond to emailed requests for comment by press time. It is unclear if federal authorities will continue a separate review of the case.

The local closure ends the primary police inquiry in South Carolina. The medical examiner's ruling stands as the final word on the cause of death. The case files in Greenville are now closed.