Hayden Panettiere's Death 'Ruled Accidental,' Police Say in Closing Investigation After Actress Was Tragically Found Unresponsive at Age 36

Hayden Panettiere's death has been officially ruled an accident more than two months after she was found unresponsive in a South Carolina apartment.

"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 said in a statement on Wednesday, October 28.

The ruling ended the police investigation into Panettiere's death, according to the statement.

As OK! previously reported, the Nashville star died on August 16 at age 36. She was discovered on a sofa bed sitting with her legs crossed and face down by her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson.

According to the coroner's report, Brian reportedly administered two doses of Narcan, a medicine used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, and called 911 after she remained unresponsive.

Emergency services responded to a phone call around 1:52 p.m. reporting an "unidentified female," who was later identified as Hayden, in "cardiac arrest" following a suspected overdose, per 911 dispatch audio.

Though life-saving measures were taken, she was pronounced dead less than an hour after emergency services arrived.

"It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden," Hayden's father, Alan "Skip" Panettiere, announced in a statement. "She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen."

Toxicology results later confirmed that Hayden had fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol, and Quetiapine in her system at the time of her death.

The Ice Princess star's death was ruled an accident last month, though authorities were investigating whether she obtained the drugs from a counterfeit dealer.

The Remember the Titans actress was open about her struggles with addiction and mental health, notably documenting them in her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, which was released only three months before her death.

"As my nervous system tried to regulate itself without the depressant effects of alcohol, it went into overdrive, and my whole body shook," she wrote in her memoir about going to rehab in 2020. "I couldn’t sleep, and my head pounded like it was pressing against my skull."

She was very open about going through the withdrawal period, adding, "I've said it before and I'll say it again: addicts aren’t patient. When we’re shaking, nauseated, anxious, lonely, or depressed, we need instant relief that sends us into that pain-free place called denial."