New autopsy reveals what caused Hayden Panettiere’s death

International

MONTHS after Hayden Panettiere publicly detailed her battle with addiction, an autopsy has found that the actress died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, Xanax and several other drugs.

According to a BBC report, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office in South Carolina ruled Panettiere’s death accidental and said no signs of trauma were found that contributed to her death.

Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive at a South Carolina residence last month. Emergency responders “initiated advanced cardiac life support measures; however, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful”, according to the coroner’s office.

The autopsy also detected methocarbamol, a prescription muscle relaxant, and quetiapine, an antipsychotic medication used to treat certain mental health conditions.

Best known for her roles in the television series Heroes and Nashville, Panettiere had spoken openly about her struggles with substance abuse. In a memoir published just months before her death, she discussed her experiences with addiction as well as postpartum depression.

Panettiere wrote that she was introduced to drugs at about 16 during a red-carpet appearance for Heroes, when someone from her professional team gave her what was described as a “happy pill” to boost her energy. She later told People that she did not understand at the time that taking the drug was inappropriate or how it could affect her later relationship with addiction.

“As I got older, the drugs and alcohol became something I almost couldn’t live without,” she told People Magazine.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has been linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths in the United States in recent years.

The circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s death also prompted a local police investigation. A police report from the day she died said her former boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zack, were present when emergency services arrived. Hickerson has admitted to abusing Panettiere.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency was reportedly joining the local police department’s investigation into her death.

Panettiere also wrote about the death of her younger brother, Jansen, who died at 28 from a heart condition. In her memoir, she said he had struggled with substance abuse and had used heroin and cocaine leading up to his death.(MyTVCebu)