New autopsy findings have provided a clearer timeline of Hayden Panettiere’s final moments, though officials say the investigation into what caused her sudden death remains active.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office has released new details in the death of Hayden Panettiere, confirming that an autopsy found no physical trauma that would have contributed to the actress’s death. The update comes one day after Panettiere was found unresponsive in Greenville, South Carolina, and pronounced dead at age 36, with authorities still working to determine an official cause and manner of death.
According to a statement from Coroner Mike Ellis cited by PEOPLE, the autopsy was completed on Monday, August 17. “At autopsy no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death,” Ellis said, adding that the cause and manner remain pending further investigation and additional studies. The coroner emphasized that the case remains active and that no further details were available for release at the time.
Officials also provided a more specific account of the emergency response. A 911 call was placed at approximately 1:51 p.m. on Sunday, August 16, and first responders and emergency medical personnel arrived to find Panettiere in cardiac arrest at the residence where she had been temporarily staying. EMS crews initiated advanced cardiac life support measures, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.
The Greenville Police Department separately said its preliminary investigation had not uncovered signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. Dispatch audio obtained by PEOPLE included references to an “overdose” and “cardiac arrest,” but authorities have not announced that an overdose caused Panettiere’s death, and the coroner has not yet issued a final determination. Until toxicology and any other pending studies are completed, the official cause of death remains unresolved.
Panettiere’s family confirmed her death Sunday night through a representative, with her father, Alan “Skip” Panettiere, remembering his daughter as an “incredible light and a force of nature” who brought love and joy to people who knew her personally and to audiences who followed her career. The family also asked for privacy as they process the loss, which came only days before Panettiere would have turned 37.
Panettiere had spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, beginning as a child performer before becoming widely recognized for playing Claire Bennet on NBC’s Heroes. She later starred as country singer Juliette Barnes on Nashville, a performance that earned her two Golden Globe nominations, and returned to the horror franchise that introduced her as Kirby Reed in Scream 4 for 2023’s Scream VI.
Earlier in 2026, Panettiere released her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she reflected on growing up in Hollywood, addiction, mental health and other deeply personal chapters of her life. She had spoken publicly for years about substance-use struggles and postpartum depression, but those disclosures should not be treated as an explanation for her death while investigators are still awaiting the medical findings necessary to establish what happened. Panettiere is survived by her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, and the latest official update leaves the central question unanswered as the cause and manner of death remain pending.
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