By Basant El-Faramawy
South Carolina police have closed their investigation into the overdose death of actor Hayden Panettiere after a coroner ruled the death accidental, authorities announced Wednesday.
Coroner's Findings
The Greenville Police Department said the decision was based on the medical examiner's determination and the investigation's findings. Panettiere, 36, was pronounced dead on Aug. 16 in a Greenville apartment after paramedics found her unresponsive. A coroner's report obtained by The Associated Press last month concluded she died from an accidental overdose of multiple drugs, including fentanyl. She had recently completed a stint in rehab.
Federal Interest and Property Dispute
It remains unclear whether federal authorities are separately examining the case. In a petition to a California court last month, Panettiere's ex-fiancé, former boxer Wladimir Klitschko, said some of her property had been seized by federal agents investigating her death and by an unnamed nonrelative attempting to sell it. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration did not respond to requests for comment, and Greenville police Sgt. Diana Munoz declined to say whether other agencies are involved.
The California court granted Klitschko legal authority this month to protect Panettiere’s assets for their 11-year-old daughter, who is the sole heir.
Personal Struggles
In a memoir published in May, Panettiere disclosed her battle with alcohol addiction and postpartum depression following her daughter's birth in 2014. The child has lived with Klitschko full-time since age 2. Panettiere’s father told investigators that at the time of her death, she had planned to visit her daughter in Ukraine days later.
